Ina Coveney
My friend Adam Schaeuble. Hi.

Adam Schaeuble
Hi!

Ina Coveney
Welcome to The Global Phenomenon Podcast.

Adam Schaeuble
Ina, I have to compliment you. You crushed my last name. There are a lot of vowels in there, and you really nailed it. So we're off to a great start. I’m very excited about this.

Ina Coveney
I am known for doing my research, but I knew how to pronounce your name because you did a great job training me the first time we met, so I never forgot it. Very easy, you guys. Everybody listening, don’t even look at what his name looks like. Just imagine: Schaeuble. However you think it’s spelled, that’s what you’re going to imagine. Pro tip.

Adam Schaeuble
That’s a good tip!

Ina Coveney
Adam, please tell everybody who you help right now and what you help them with.

Adam Schaeuble
Yes, I help frustrated podcasters learn how to leverage their podcast to grow their brand, grow their show, get rid of the crickets, and start making some dang money. As a service provider, even if you’ve got a small audience, that’s who I focus on.

Ina Coveney
I love it. I love the small audience part right there. Adam, can you please just take me back and tell everybody where you were born, where you were raised—like, what was little Adam like?

Adam Schaeuble
Little Adam was born in 1980, and I’ve always been an entrepreneur, which is kind of cool. I was very entrepreneurial to the point where I would organize handmade thank-you cards and holiday cards. I’d get my little distribution channel of other six- to eight-year-olds—the neighborhood kids—and we’d handcraft cards. I was in charge of the money, of course. I would send them out. There were certain houses we liked to hit, and other houses we didn’t. We’d go with these handmade cards and sell them for like a dollar. I would give everybody their cut, and we had a pretty good hustle going on as six-year-olds.

Ina Coveney
Okay, hold on. Where were your parents during all this?

Adam Schaeuble
They were around. They encouraged me to be creative, and they made sure I paid everybody. It wasn’t like, “Adam keeps all the money, and no one else gets anything.” We had a walkie-talkie system going on, like, “Did you hit the Holden’s house yet?” We were very strategic. That’s just kind of how I’ve always been.

Ina Coveney
What do you remember about your relationship with your parents back then?

Adam Schaeuble
This is a great question because one of my clients just hit me up. He’s doing his 100th episode, and he wants to talk about relationships with parents and fathers. I just sent him some audios, so this is very top of mind.
I remember a story about my dad. He’s a retired pharmacist now, but back in the day, pharmacists were like your doctor. You had a pharmacist, not just a random one at the drugstore. I remember he would take me to basketball practice, and afterward, it’d be like 8 or 9 o’clock at night. He’d have all these bags of medicine in his truck, and we’d drive around, dropping off medicine to his customers who couldn’t get to the pharmacy—people in wheelchairs, people without cars, people who were really sick. That always stuck with me as an example of true customer service.

Ina Coveney
That’s incredible. Was there one lesson your father always hammered into your head?

Adam Schaeuble
Showing up and doing the right thing was always a good lesson. On top of that, he was big on financial responsibility. My parents made me pay for things as a kid. One of the best parenting moves they made—and I’m definitely doing this with my kids—was making me pay for my first vehicle with my own money.
They helped me figure out how to make money, like mowing lawns. My dad told me, “You’re 10. You’ve got eight years to save up until you get your license. If you mow X amount of lawns per summer, you’ll have enough money.” I ended up buying a 1987 Ford Lariat. It was an ugly blue truck with an ugly tan camper, but it was mine. I paid for it in cash, and I took care of that thing.

Ina Coveney
How did that responsibility impact you long-term?

Adam Schaeuble
It shaped how I value things. My friends whose parents bought them brand-new BMWs would wreck them or trash them. Many of those kids still live with their parents. Meanwhile, I learned the value of hard choices early on. There’s that quote, “Hard choices, easy life; easy choices, hard life.” My parents made me make hard choices earlier on, and it helped me develop an easier life later.

Ina Coveney
That’s a fantastic foundation. Did this sense of responsibility and discipline extend to other areas of your life, like creating habits?

Adam Schaeuble
Absolutely. My dad taught me to focus on goals. For example, when I wanted to dunk a basketball, he helped me come up with exercises to strengthen my legs. He had a proven track record of helping me achieve micro-goals, so I trusted him when he said, “It’s time to save up for your car. Here’s how much you need.”
That ability to set a goal and work toward it over time has stayed with me.

Ina Coveney
It’s fascinating how that discipline carried over. I know that later in life, you experienced a major transformation. Can you share how that came about?

Adam Schaeuble
Sure. I was always an athlete—played varsity basketball, was an all-conference player—but when I went to college, I stopped playing sports and focused on strength training. I majored in exercise physiology and kinesiology and got into strength sports like Highland Games and powerlifting.
To compete, I intentionally gained weight. I started at 200 pounds and added about 20 pounds a year. By the time I graduated college, I was 275 pounds. Eventually, I hit 327 pounds. I was strong, but I wasn’t healthy.
One day, I realized I didn’t like being that large. I was in a serious relationship with my now-wife, Marissa. I wanted a future with her, a family, and to be around for them. That’s when I decided to prioritize my health.

Ina Coveney
What triggered that decision?

Adam Schaeuble
It was during a Highland Games event in Colorado. The altitude made it hard to breathe, and I felt terrible. I left my equipment in the hotel room and said, “I’m done with this sport.” That was the moment I decided to turn the page and create a healthier life.

Ina Coveney
That’s powerful. I know you didn’t just wing it; you created a five-year plan. Can you walk us through that process?

Adam Schaeuble
Yes! Around that time, The Secret and the law of attraction became popular. It was my first exposure to personal growth material. Inspired, I wrote a lifestyle rehab statement. It defined my purpose, set a five-year deadline, and outlined my goals as if they had already happened.
Every night, I read it out loud with emotion. Over those five years, I achieved almost everything on that list.

Ina Coveney
That’s incredible! What kind of goals did you include in your lifestyle rehab statement?

Adam Schaeuble
I wrote down things like owning a 5,000-square-foot training studio, having 100 clients, 10 employees, making a certain amount of money, getting married, and starting a family. I framed them as if they had already been accomplished.
What’s crazy is that five years and seven days later, I checked off the last goal. I opened an 8,000-square-foot studio instead of 5,000 square feet, and 100 people were there at 6 a.m. on opening day. I had 30 employees, almost 500 clients, more money than I’d imagined, I was married, and I had a family.

Ina Coveney
That’s mind-blowing! Do you think your nightly affirmations were the key?

Adam Schaeuble
The affirmations focused me, but it wasn’t just sitting there wishing for things to happen. It was about action. Reading my goals daily kept them front and center, so every decision I made aligned with achieving them.

Ina Coveney
That’s such a disciplined approach. But for someone listening right now, thinking, “This sounds great for Adam, but I could never be that disciplined,” what would you say?

Adam Schaeuble
It all comes down to finding your why. Whether it’s weight loss, finances, or business, if your why is bigger than the sum of all the why nots, you’ll succeed.
For example, in business, your why might be earning six figures as a coach. The why nots—family skepticism, tech issues, rejection—will show up, but if your why is big enough, you’ll keep going.
For me, imagining the life I wanted with my wife and kids drove me to get healthy. That vision kept me going through hard days.

Ina Coveney
That’s such a strong motivator. You’ve mentioned that now you only work three days a week, but transitioning to that kind of lifestyle must have been a challenge. What was that like?

Adam Schaeuble
It was tough at first because I had to figure out what to do with my non-work time. I used to fill every minute with work.
What helped was redefining what success meant. Every year, I calculate how much I need to earn to support my ideal lifestyle, then figure out how many hours I need to work to achieve that. Once I hit that number, I stop working.
Over time, I transitioned from working six or seven days a week to four, and now I’m at three.

Ina Coveney
So what do you do with your extra time now?

Adam Schaeuble
I focus on personal development and hobbies. I coach basketball, learn about cryptocurrency, cook for my kids, and drop them off at school. I also train with them and get involved in their activities.
At first, there’s a honeymoon phase where you binge-watch TV, but after that, you start thinking about what you truly want to learn or do. That’s when it gets exciting.

Ina Coveney
That’s such a fulfilling way to spend your time. Let’s go back to your story—how did you move from being a gym owner to entering the podcasting world?

Adam Schaeuble
I started listening to podcasts around 2013-2014 and fell in love with the medium. At the time, I was burning out as a gym owner. I thought, “This could be a way to expand my impact without adding more employees.”
I launched my first show, The Million Pound Mission, while still running my gym. It was slow going at first—I made $37 in my first three years—but I loved connecting with an international audience.

Ina Coveney
$37 in three years? That must have been discouraging. What kept you going?

Adam Schaeuble
It was discouraging, but I started experimenting with ways to monetize. I ran a $37 course after a five-day Facebook Live challenge, and 100 people signed up. I made $3,000, and it was a lightbulb moment. I realized I could scale this model.
Eventually, I transitioned out of the gym and went full-time with podcasting in 2019, just before the pandemic.

Ina Coveney
Selling your gym must have been bittersweet. What was that decision like?

Adam Schaeuble
It was hard. I’d built deep relationships with my clients, helping my hometown lose 35,000 pounds. But as my kids grew, I realized the gym lifestyle didn’t align with the dad I wanted to be.
I also started getting negative feedback from clients who didn’t like me pursuing online ventures. I understood their perspective—they feared losing their progress if I wasn’t there—but it was clear I needed to move on.

Ina Coveney
For someone considering starting a podcast, what’s the biggest thing they need to know?

Adam Schaeuble
They need a strong why. Podcasting can be an incredible superpower for building your brand, but it’s also one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.
Starting from zero means you’ll need patience and persistence. Most people won’t go viral or become Joe Rogan overnight. But if you stick with it and focus on serving your audience, you can build something meaningful.

Ina Coveney
What’s a misconception people have about you as a successful businessman?

Adam Schaeuble
People sometimes think I’m a “bro marketer” because I have a lot of energy, but that’s not who I am. Most of my clients are rockstar women, and I strive to be authentic and relatable.

Ina Coveney
I can vouch for that. You’re one of the realest people I’ve met, Adam. Finally, if everyone listening had to take action in the next 24 hours, what would you tell them to do?

Adam Schaeuble
Set an “implementation alarm” on your phone for 24 hours from now. Before it goes off, take one action aligned with the “aha moment” you had during this episode.
It could be writing down your goals, brainstorming podcast topics, or reaching out to someone for help. The key is to take action and hold yourself accountable.

Ina Coveney
I love that idea! Adam, this has been such a pleasure. Thank you so much for sharing your time and stories. Where can people find you?

Adam Schaeuble
Thank you, Ina. I appreciate you so much. People can find me on Instagram, @podcastingbusinessschool. That’s my only social media platform—I don’t even have LinkedIn on my phone.
I also have free resources like the Podcast Scorecard and monthly Zoom parties for podcasters at podcastingbusiness.school. Come hang out in my world!

Ina Coveney
All those links will be in the show notes. Adam, thank you so much!

Adam Schaeuble
Thank you, Ina! Always a pleasure.