My entire life, I thought I was going to be a Doctor just like my father.
 
Then in 2017, I realized it wasn't my passion.
 
So, I decided to end my pre-medicine college track.
 
But, before I could, I had to have a plan.
 
My dad grew his medicine practice by building relationships and grow by word of mouth.
 
These same relationships he built were the foundation for me to seek help and learn about other career paths.
 
So, I started calling his network.
 
The second call I made was to his financial planner, Timmy.
 
Timmy taught me that there's 3 things everybody thinks about before they fall asleep.
 
1st: Did I hurt anyone today? If so, you can talk to someone about that.
 
2nd: Am I healthy? If not, you can call your doctor tomorrow - that's my Dad.
 
3rd: Have I made the right financial decisions for my family? That's where I come in.
 
I'm okay with batting 3rd in that lineup.
 
Since that day, I've spent my time simplifying financial decisions for my clients.
 
How I can help you:

➡️Review every year because life happens and things change
➡️Feel confident to make difficult financial decisions
➡️Develop a simple, implementable financial plan
➡️Hold you accountable to your goals

My results:

➡️The best 1st year my agency has ever seen in its 130+ year history
➡️Rookie of the year 2021
➡️New Advisor of the year 2021
➡️Over 100 households (and counting) receiving my help & expertise

If you want to learn more about how I help my clients and see if we’re a fit, you can schedule on my calendar HERE👇🏼

Calendly.com/sallavanti/intro

Mando Sallavanti III

Build generational wealth without the money stress | Financial Advisor for Big Tech (Paycom, Oracle, Salesforce) | Top 25 MassMutual Financial Advisor (2024)

You closed $4M in deals this year. You hit President's Club. 

You're making $500K... Why's your bank account look the same as 3 years ago?

Let me guess:

→ $80K commission check hit last month - already gone
→ RSUs vesting quarterly, no idea if you should sell
→ Owed $40K in taxes you weren't expecting
→ Looking at houses you can't tell if you can afford
→ Spouse is stressed about money even though you're crushing quota
→ You're one bad quarter away from serious financial stress

You're a B2B Sales Leader at a high-growth tech company.
You close seven-figure deals for your company.
You advise C-suite executives on complex buying decisions.

But your own finances are in total chaos.

Here's why:

Traditional financial advice doesn't work for enterprise sales.

"Just save 20% and max your 401k" doesn't mean anything when:

Your income swings $50K month-to-month
You have RSUs, ESPP, commission, or bonuses all hitting at different times
Your "income" includes stock that might be up 30% or down 20%
You're taxed at rates that nobody explains properly

You don't need a financial advisor who works with "high earners."

You need someone who works with sales leaders who live in your world.

That's us.

We work with Sales Leaders at B2B SaaS and Tech companies.

Here's what we do:

Phase 1: Stop the Bleeding

→ Commission cash flow system (capture money before it disappears)
→ RSU strategy (minimize the tax hit or concentration when vested)
→ Protection planning (life, disability - so your family is covered)

Phase 2: Build the Buffer

→ Build emergency fund (handle slow quarters without panic)
→ Automate commission capture (money builds wealth before spending)
→ Know what you can actually afford (house, cars, private school - no guessing)

Phase 3: Build Real Wealth

→ Diversify beyond company stock (systematic selling, no emotion)
→ Tax planning with your CPA (keep more of what you earn within your control)
→ Build multiple income streams (not 100% dependent on quota)

The outcome we plan for?

You're not just making money. 
You're keeping it.

You're not just hitting quota. 
You're building generational wealth.

You're not stressed about the next deal. 
You have OPTIONS.

THAT is your Freedom Path.

If you're crushing quota and tired of feeling broke, let's fix that.

Message me and tell me to get started!

Mando Sallavanti III, CFP®, CEPA, ChFC®

Mattia and I paid under $500 for $8,500 flights on the most luxurious business class in the sky → Emirates business class.

New York to Dubai.
Lie-flat seats.
Gourmet meals.
Onboard bar.

Let me show you exactly how we did it:

Step 1: Create a Credit Card Strategy

Last fall, Amex Business Platinum offered me a signup bonus:
250,000 points after $20k spend in 3 months.

My business has more expenses than that each quarter.
No brainer.

Plus, the card is perfect for someone who travels frequently for business (me).
We hit the bonus. Banked the points.

Step 2: Identify Transfer Partners & Find Enhanced Value

If I booked through Amex Travel Portal: 

→ 2 business class tickets to Dubai = $8,500 cash OR 850,000 Amex points 
→ That's 1 cent per point

Instead, Colin Stroud (who's co-hosting this training with me) showed me:

Transfer Amex points → Emirates (1:1 instant transfer)
Book directly with Emirates: → Same 2 business class tickets = 276,000 Emirates points + $470 in fees

We just 3x'd the value of our points by knowing which transfer partner to use.

Step 3: Transfer Points & Book

Transfer took 2 minutes.
Booking took 10 minutes.
Total time invested: 12 minutes.
Total savings: $8,000.

BOOM.

This is what Colin teaches in Monday's training.

The exact transfer partners.
The exact tools to find these deals.
The exact strategy to maximize every point you earn.

This isn't theory.
This is the system I used to book our honeymoon.

AND it can work for YOU.

3 Questions You're Asking:

"Don't I need to spend a fortune to earn enough points?"
No.

If you're spending $50K-$100K/year on credit cards (which most sales leaders are), you're earning 100K-200K points annually.

That's enough for: 

→ Multiple business class flights to Europe 
→ 10+ nights at luxury hotels 
→ Both

You're already spending the money.
You're just getting 1.5% back instead of 5-10x value.

"Isn't this too complicated? I don't have time for this."

It's simpler than you think.

Colin uses tools (Seats.aero, Roame, PointsYeah) that search for deals automatically.

You're not manually checking 15 airline websites.

You type in your destination.
The tool shows you the best points deals.
You book.
Takes 10 minutes.

"What if I don't want to deal with points? Can't I just use cash?"

You can.

But you're choosing to pay $11,246 for business class to Germany instead of 70,000 points.

You're choosing to pay $1,330/night for hotels instead of 25,000 points.

If you make $400K+ and that doesn't bother you, don't come to this training.

But if you'd rather keep that $20K-$30K and use it for something else?

Show up Monday.

Save your seat → https://lnkd.in/eyErtStr

12/22 at 12 ET

Mando Sallavanti III, CFP®

Crushing quota, but bad with money? Click here. | Financial Advisor for B2B Sales Leaders | Message me PLAN to get started!

Marc Cabrera

Co-Founder

Telluride Regional Medical Center

Elected Board Member of the Telluride Regional Medical Center which operates a Level V Trauma & Emergency Services unit and a Primary Care unit that is a multi-specialty medical practice staffed with full-time primary care physicians, mid-level providers and visiting specialists.

Board Member

Panoramic Health

Panoramic Health was launched to help physicians, practices, patients, and payers navigate and shape the changing healthcare environment while driving improvements in outcomes and reducing total cost of care. We are kidney care’s leading, integrated, provider group, with 750+ providers and 1500+ employees, supporting nephrologists who provide care across 19 states. Panoramic Health is driven by proprietary, predictive data analytics and clinical workflows underpinned by one of the world’s largest clinical chronic kidney disease (“CKD”) data warehouses, enabling nephrologists to deliver better patient outcomes.

Private Investor

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Co-led team of 40 healthcare investment banking professionals.  Led healthcare services teams and developed nationally recognized sell-side advisory practice focused on value-based care, physician services and provider models.  Sole sourced more than 75 engagements, closed 52 transactions and generated ~$110 million in revenue.

Co-Head, Healthcare Investment Banking

Managing Director, Healthcare Investment Banking

Pinnacle Family Services

Co-founder and lead investor in a leading CARF-accredited provider of evidence-informed therapeutic foster care and evidence-based home and community based periodic behavioral health services to at-risk youth in North Carolina and Florida. Services provided by 192 incredible colleagues across 19 offices that serve children with high acuity conditions that often include mental, developmental, autism, emotional and/or medical conditions including dually diagnosed. Exited to Health Connect America (a Palladium Equity portfolio company) in 2021.

iCare Health Network

iCare Health Solutions is an organized eye care delivery system that specializes in delivering fully-integrated networks of optometric and ophthalmic professionals. Our solution optimizes quality outcomes, reduces health care cost as well as the overall improvement of patient satisfaction. Our distinguished community of eye care providers share the same philosophy of delivering cost-effective and holistic patient-centered care. Exited to VSP in 2021.

IMA Medical Group

IMA Medical Group provides high quality patient centric primary medical and wellness services focusing on improving patient care and offering convenient services for patients, their families, and caregivers. IMA serves patients in 24 medical centers across Central Florida, where over 70 physicians and nurse practitioners provide comprehensive medical services to almost 22,000 Medicare members in partnership with all leading Medicare Advantage health plans. Exited to TA Associates in 2019.

Community Medical Group

Community Medical Group is one of the largest, most recognized and respected providers of Medicaid and Medicare health services in Miami-Dade County. CMG operates 15 centers from North Miami Beach to Florida City and serves patients of all ages who are enrolled in a managed Medicaid or Medicare Advantage health plan. Exited to Nautic Partners in 2015.

Morgan Joseph & Co

Managed 10 person healthcare services team focused on public company advisory and private company sales.  Generated ~$35 million in revenue.

Group Head, Healthcare Investment Banking

Pinnacle Partners

Co-founder and managing partner of boutique investment banking advisory firm focused on lower middle market healthcare services companies.

Co-Founder of Healthcare Investment Banking Boutique

Bear Stearns Companies

Senior execution banker with extensive experience in public company mergers, divestitures, initial public offerings, debt and preferred stock financings for U.S. and European healthcare companies.

Associate Director, Healthcare Investment Banking

Vice President, Healthcare Investment Banking

Investment Banker | 4x Private Equity Exit | 1x Company Exit | 2x Ironman | Volunteer Firefighter/EMT | Mediocre CrossFit Athlete

By profession, I'm a numbers person;
so, here's me by the numbers:

1: My class ranking when I graduated from college

1: Company that I acquired (2015) and exited (2021)

3.5: Decades I’ve advised CEOs, boards and founders on the most important deals of their careers

5: Direct private equity investments I've made (4 of which exited)

8: Total members in my family (including 4 dogs and cats)

50: My percentile rank in the 2024 CrossFit Games for my age group (yes, mediocre)

81: Percent of my deals that closed since 2012

100: My commitment to continuing to grow as a person

161: Deals I've closed in my career

300: Days that I train for fitness each year

4,500: Population of the mountain town I live in and serve on its non-profit medical center board and as a volunteer firefighter/EMT

9,250:  Feet above sea level at which I typically sleep

Co-Head of Healthcare Investment Banking Group with 35 dedicated professionals.  Lead Health Services Team which focuses on provider services, value-based care models, managed care and behavioral health. Primarily manage private company sales (both founder- and private equity-owned) for companies with EBITDA of $5 - $50 million.

I grew up in a 1,500 square foot house.

The Washington Post says a smaller home will make you happier.

They might be right.

The average American home has grown from 1,525 square feet (1973) to 2,300 (2022)—while the number of people living in them has decreased.

More space. Less closeness.

One in five Americans now report feeling lonely. Nearly as many are depressed.

Here's what I know:

The best sleep I've had in years? A 100-square-foot camper van (see pic).

Every backpacking trip, I'd return well-rested—then immediately feel crushed by how much STUFF I owned.

The cardboard cat scratcher fell apart? Amazon Prime, here I come

Here's the uncomfortable truth:
→ Most of what you buy, you don't need
→ Every dollar spent is a dollar not building wealth
→ The less you own, the better you feel

Wall Street measures our success by how much we spend; it's called GDP.
What if we're measuring the wrong thing?
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

Investor, Advisor, Mentor—Follow for real talk on mindset, money, growth, and living fit.

This may piss off a lot of people who sell financial advice for a living, but here it is:
There's a lot of bad financial advice out there.
What's worse? You're paying for it.

Some advice is pure garbage—pithy expressions that sound smart but collapse the minute you try to apply them:

"Buy low, sell high!" → How do I know when that is?
"Your home is your best investment!" → Not these days.
"High risk = high reward!" → Tell that to the person who lost money on a sexy start-up.

If you Google research on the value of a financial advisor,
you may come across a one-off study here or there that's inconclusive.
Otherwise, you'll be hit with a bunch of marketing from big financial firms.

So how do you navigate one of the most important aspects of modern life?

Understand these 3 inescapable realities:

1. You cannot thrive by overspending

Americans carry an average of $6,501 in credit card debt, paying roughly 20% interest. That's a guaranteed negative return before you even think about investing. The math is brutal: if you're paying 20% on debt while hoping for 7-10% market returns, you're underwater before you start.

Living within your means isn't sexy advice.
It doesn't generate commissions.
But it's the only foundation that works.
Everything else is building on sand.

2. Evaluate risk on its own, then consider return

The "high risk = high reward" myth is dangerous because it confuses correlation with causation. High returns sometimes come with high risk. But high risk frequently delivers terrible returns—that's why it's risky.

Academic research shows that risk-adjusted returns matter more than raw returns. A study in the Journal of Finance found that the highest-risk stocks actually delivered lower returns than medium-risk stocks over long periods. You need to know what you're risking, what you could lose, and whether you can afford that loss. Only then does the potential return matter.

3. If you're being pitched a financial product (including advice), understand exactly what you're getting and how much it costs

A 1% annual fee sounds trivial. Over 30 years with a $500K portfolio growing at 7%, that 1% costs you roughly $300,000 in lost wealth. The advisory industry manages $100+ trillion globally—those fees add up for someone, and it's not you.

Ask:
→ What am I paying?
→ What am I getting?
→ How does the person selling this make money?

If they can't answer clearly, walk away.
Opacity in financial services always benefits the seller, not the buyer.

The financial industry thrives on complexity and jargon.
Your best defense?
Understand the fundamentals cold, and never delegate your financial literacy to someone with a commission structure.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

The best career move I made? Staying put.

While everyone else was job-hopping, I did something different: met with 1-2 headhunters annually to track my market value, but rarely moved.

Over my entire career, I worked at just 4 firms.

Why stay?

Two reasons mattered most:
→ Built deep career capital and organizational trust
→ Avoided the trap of believing recruiter pitches

In financial services especially, most "opportunities" are just quota-filling during good times. Every pitch sounds transformational. They rarely are.

There's a real cost to moving too fast:

Today's median tenure for 25-34 year-olds is 2.7 years (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). That's barely enough time to understand how your own organization actually works.

Three implications:

1. Depth beats breadth early

The first decade of your career is about mastering how things actually work—not collecting titles.

2. Use the market as intelligence, not escape

Talk to recruiters. Know your worth. But don't confuse external validation with internal progress.

3. Trust compounds slowly

The relationships and reputation you build in years 3-7 at a company often matter more than the bump you'd get by leaving.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

You can lose money in a venture capital deal without investing a dollar.

How?
Go work there.

I see this pattern constantly.
Someone tells me they're joining a venture-backed
startup that's going to be the next unicorn:
→ Revolutionary business model
→ Massive TAM
→ Fantastic team
→ Early employee equity
They've won the lottery.

Fast forward 18 months?
→ Business shuttered
→ VCs stopped writing checks
→ Profit never materialized
→ Team dispersed

Here's what nobody tells you:

Your equity package has an expected value.
Just like any investment.
If you're taking the job because of the equity,
understand what you're really doing:

You're making a concentrated, illiquid bet with your salary, your career momentum, and years of your professional life as the ante.

The math is brutal:
→ 75% of startups fail (per the Financial Times)
→ That means your equity is worth $0 in 7 out of 10 scenarios

Meanwhile, you turned down the stable job
with real cash compensation.
I'm not saying avoid startups.
I'm saying underwrite the equity like an investor would.
Because you ARE investing—just not with cash:
→ What's the current valuation?
→ How much runway exists?
→ Who's on the cap table?
→ When does the company expect to be profitable?

Your career is your most valuable asset.
Treat it like one.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing on LinkedIn.

Some days I'll post 3x. Other times I disappear for a week.

I post at random hours about whatever's on my mind. My videos look like they were shot on a warped potato. I have no call-to-action, no ideal customer profile, no content calendar.

I'm breaking every rule the growth gurus preach.

And honestly? I love it.

I've connected with remarkable people I never would have met otherwise. I get to practice writing every day. I follow people who make me think differently, who challenge me, who inspire me.

Best of all: a few people tell me they actually look forward to what I share.

That's worth more than any algorithm hack.

This platform works when you show up as yourself—imperfect, inconsistent, and real. The connections that matter don't come from perfect posting schedules. They come from being human.

So here's to doing it wrong and loving every minute of it.

Pic: Who else can't resist a good volcano?!?
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

You don't need a gym to get in shape.

I prefer barbells for compound movements—
mainly because they're nicely efficient.
But I've trained effectively with:

→ Kettlebells
→ Dumbbells
→ My own body weight
→ Even rocks and logs in the wilderness

A gym helps.
But don't rush to sign up because of a New Year's resolution.
January memberships are expensive bets on motivation
that usually fades by February.

What matters more than any equipment—basic or fancy—is:

The mindset of consistency.

The person doing push-ups in their bedroom
every morning will outlast the person who
bought a premium membership but only
shows up when they "feel motivated."

Equipment is just a tool.
Show up.
That's the real work.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

Three years ago, I would have laughed at myself for doing mobility work, meditation, or tracking my water intake.

Too soft. Too slow. Not real training.

Now?
They're non-negotiable parts of my routine.

Here's what I've learned:

If I had tried to adopt all of this on day one, I never would have started.
The gap between where I was and where I "should" be would have been paralyzing.

So here's my actual advice for January:

Start embarrassingly small:
→ Drink a glass of water when you wake up
→ Walk after dinner
→ Do 5 or 10 pushups during a Zoom break
→ Sit in your car for two minutes before going inside

It's not about the perfect program.
It's about building the infrastructure for change—
one stupidly simple habit at a time.

The compound effect is real. But only if you start.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

Most people ignore the most important
component of their success architecture:

Their energy system.

They obsess over hacks, tactics, and time management.
But strategy means nothing if you're running on fumes by 2p.
And your brilliant plan falls apart when you can't
concentrate long enough to execute it.

Energy isn't about willpower. It's about biology:
→ Sleep quality
→ Recovery protocols
→ Stress management
→ What you eat & drink at your desk

Most high-performers are trying to win with
a low battery and wondering why everything
feels harder than it should.

Focus isn't about discipline. It's about environment:
→ Eliminating cognitive load
→ Designing your day around your actual energy patterns,
not some idealized 4am productivity fantasy
→ Protecting deep work time like it's a board meeting—because certain hours are more valuable that others

The executives I work with who make the biggest leaps?
They stop trying to do more and start optimizing how they show up.

Three questions to assess where you actually stand:
1. Can you sustain focus for 90+ minutes without checking your phone?
2. Do you wake up feeling rested and energetic most mornings?
3. Can you perform at your best without relying on caffeine or adrenaline to get
there?

If you answered no to any of these, you're not maximizing your capacity.

What to do about it:
→ Start with the foundation: Track your sleep for a week—not just hours, but quality (deep + REM sleep)
→ Notice your natural energy peaks and schedule demanding work accordingly
→ Audit your environment for distraction triggers and eliminate them ruthlessly

You don't need more hustle.
You need better infrastructure.
Everything else—the deals, the decisions, the big moves—flows from there.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

I know dozens of founders who are exceptional at making money.
You know what they're terrible at?

Managing it.

Yet here's what the wealth management industry consistently gets wrong:

Founders aren't looking for someone to make them wealthy.
They've already figured that part out themselves.
The minute they get pitched on a market return, they roll their eyes.

What founders actually need is someone who
understands that their relationship with money is
fundamentally different from traditional high-net-worth clients.

They need advisors who grasp that:

→Their wealth is illiquid + concentrated
→Their risk tolerance was forged making a massive bet
→They think in terms of capital deployment, not asset allocation
→They want a partner who can keep pace with their complexity, not someone pitching cookie-cutter portfolios

The wealth management pitch that works for executives who climbed the corporate ladder for 30 years? It falls flat with founders.

Because founders didn't get wealthy by being risk averse.
They got wealthy by seeing opportunities others missed
and having the conviction and risk-appetite to act.

They aren't looking to you to make them rich.
They want someone who understands that their approach has already generated far more wealth than the market ever could.

What's your take?

Pic: My favorite time of day in Colorado's mountains.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

If the movements in your workouts don't have weird names,
you're missing out.

→ Bear crawls (followed by Cub crawls—of course)
→ Crab walks
→ Modified pigeon pose
→ Heel scoops (nope, not ice cream)
→ Walk the dog
→ And my personal favorite? The Greatest Stretch

These aren't gimmicks.
They're the movements most people skip—
and exactly why most people plateau, or worse,
end up injured along the way.

Here's the truth most fitness influencers won't tell you:

If your main programming is bench press and bicep curls,
you're building a quarter of an athlete.

The pillars of fitness aren't negotiable:
→ Strength
→ Mobility
→ Endurance
→ Body composition

You don't get to cherry-pick the sexy ones and ignore the rest.
Mobility isn't stretching for 5 minutes after leg day when you remember.
The same way recovery isn't Netflix & Chill.
It's ALL dedicated work.
It's unsexy. And it's humbling.
But it's the difference between BEING fit and maybe looking fit.

The guy who can deadlift 405 but can't touch his toes?
Not fit. Just strong (in one movement).

The CrossFitter who PRs her snatch but skips warm-ups?
She's one bad rep away from months on the sidelines.

Fitness isn't about what you can lift.
It's about what you can do—today, tomorrow, and 10 years from now.

So yeah, add some weird movements to your routine.
Your future self will thank you.
And your ego? It'll survive.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

Every morning I run the same experiment: making coffee.

→ Same ratio (1:14)
→ Same temperature
→ Same gear

The only variable? Which dark roast I'm using.
I know exactly how it'll turn out. That's the point.

Three things this reminded me of about performance:

1. Figure out what's worth measuring

I've seen management teams produce pages of KPIs they never track.
Fitness pros who don't follow their own programming.
High performers obsessed with revenue who can't explain
their 3pm energy crash. Ask about sleep or calories? They're wildly off.
Research confirms we overestimate sleep by hours and underestimate calories by hundreds.

2. Control the variables you can

My coffee ritual eliminates guesswork. Same approach works in business—when you standardize the fundamentals, you can actually see what moves the needle.

3. Consistency reveals patterns

Daily repetition exposes what works. Skip it, and you're flying blind with every decision.

The best performers I've worked with don't track everything.
They track the right things, religiously.
They also ignore the rest.

What's one metric you measure that actually changes your behavior?
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

Parenting has taught me the true meaning of unconditional love.

→ Tough conversations? Had them.
→ Teaching them to drive? Survived.
→ Paying for college? Writing those checks.

But there's ONE parental duty that tests me
more than anything else:

The school holiday "concert."
(Emphasis on air quotes.)

Look, I'm not blaming the kids:
→ Their effort is pure
→ Their joy is real
→ Music education is important

But let's be honest:
From kindergarten through about 9th grade,
these concerts are less "Winter Wonderland" and more
"Winter...Wait, What Song is That?"

I show up.
I clap.
I (sort of) smile.
I even try to mouth along—WHEN I can identify
what they're attempting to perform.

But inside? A small part of my soul quietly exits stage left.

The turning point:
This year, some brave music teacher convinced
the 8th graders to cover Red Hot Chili Peppers.
"Under the Bridge" has never sounded quite so...interpretive.

But you know what? That teacher deserves a raise.
Because for the first time in a few decades of holiday concerts,
I actually knew what song was playing.

Progress!

Happy Holidays!

Vid: My type of concert.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

What I'm focused on increasing in 2026.

Not my investment returns or upgrading to the next nicer thing.

Instead:
→ Time with family
→ VO2 max
→ Heart rate variability
→ My powerlifting total (squat + bench + deadlift)
→ Oh, and actually drinking enough water.

What I'm looking to reduce?
→ Screen time
→ Stress
→ Obligations that don't align with what matters
→ Situations that feel fake

Years ago, I obsessed over financial metrics. Everything else was noise.

I had it backwards.

Financial stability matters—it buys options and reduces anxiety. But I've watched too many people win at business while losing at life. Great portfolios, terrible bloodwork. Corner offices, can't play with their kids without getting winded.

The metrics I'm chasing now? They compound differently. Better HRV means I show up sharper for the work that matters. Stronger legs mean I can still hike with my family in 10 or 20 years. Less screen time means more presence with people I actually care about.

None of this is revolutionary. But it's easy to forget when you're grinding.
What are you measuring differently this year?

(Who loves Bulgarian split squats? Answer: Not me!)
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts.

The hardest part of my day was over by 10:55 am.

Our local CrossFit runs their last Saturday class from 10-11.
Today: 16-minute AMRAP rotating through rower, assault bike, ski erg, and rest—one minute each for 16 rounds. Hitting Zone 5 came easy. Added some kettlebell work after.

Here's why this matters.

I hate morning workouts. But I do them anyway because once they're done, they're not hanging over my head the rest of the day.

This principle applies everywhere.

Do the uncomfortable thing right now:
→ Pay off the credit card
→ Have the tough conversation
→ Cut off the person who drains you
→ Propose to the love of your life

The discomfort doesn't go away by waiting. It just compounds.

Get after it.
Right now.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts.

Do you practice what matters most?

If you're aiming to level up—close the big deal, lead the critical conversation, make the career move—are you actually practicing for it?

I don't mean "fake it till you make it."
I mean deliberate rehearsal for the moments that count:
→ Winning your high-stakes pitch
→ Designing a portfolio for your future nest egg
→ Having the tough conversation you're dreading
→ Asking for the raise you've earned

In therapy, clients practice difficult conversations with an empty chair.
Before major speeches, performers rehearse in front of mirrors.
Top athletes visualize every move before competition.

What separates elite performers from everyone else?

Deliberate practice—focused, systematic work on specific weaknesses with clear goals and feedback loops.
It's not fun. It's not supposed to be.

It's not just putting in time. It's choosing the uncomfortable parts that need work and improving them intentionally.

Most people avoid practicing what makes them uncomfortable. High performers do the opposite.

What will you practice this week?

Vid: Want to squat 300 pounds? Start with the barbell and nail the technique first.
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

Do the weird thing.

In fitness, that means the unilateral movements you can't stand—even the names make you wince:
→ Bird dogs
→ Bulgarian split squats
→ Copenhagen planks

Two guarantees:
1. You'll look like a toddler learning to balance
2. They absolutely suck

But here's what they also do: they work.

The movements that feel wrong are usually the ones exposing exactly what you've been avoiding:
→ The instability
→ The imbalance
→ The weakness you've compensated around for years

Same principle applies everywhere else.

In business, in relationships, in how you spend your days—the "weird thing" is often the direct path to growth.

Not because discomfort is noble.

Because discomfort is information.

It shows you where you're actually vulnerable, not where you think you are.

Most people optimize their lives around what feels smooth. Natural. Effortless. Comfortable.

Which means they get really, really good at what they're already good at.

Do the weird thing instead.

Vid: Zercher squats. Fun!
______________________
I'm Marc Cabrera, a former investment banker. Wall Street taught me the numbers; life taught me what really counts

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The Battle

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Marc Cabrera

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Likes

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