Breaking the Stigma: Jon Benson on men's health awareness

In this enlightening episode of Rise and Grind, host Thurl Bailey sits down with Jon Benson, CEO of Gameday Men’s Health Utah, to discuss the urgent topic of men’s health. Jon shares his passionate journey in transforming how men approach their wellness, focusing on critical issues like low testosterone and erectile dysfunction. 

Discover the innovative services Gameday offers, including testosterone replacement therapy and personalized health plans, all designed to empower men to take charge of their health. Jon also addresses the stigma surrounding men's health discussions and provides valuable insights on making health a priority.

Whether you’re a man looking to improve your well-being or someone interested in understanding the challenges men face, this episode is packed with important information and inspiration. Don't miss out on this essential conversation about health, wellness, and the journey to reclaiming one’s vitality!

Be sure to like, subscribe, and comment to share your thoughts on this important topic!

Thank you for listening to this episode of Rise and Grind! If you enjoyed Thurl Bailey's inspiring basketball journey and insights, be sure to subscribe to the podcast for more powerful stories and motivational conversations. 

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Remember, your journey might have its challenges, but with grit and determination, you can rise above and achieve your dreams. Keep grinding, and we'll see you next time!

Transcript

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More than half of men that we see and need testosterone, regardless of any lifestyle changes they might be able to make. And then the testosterone itself gives them added motivation and energy to pursue those additional lifestyles. So it's like it's a double whammy. You feel better, you have more energy, and now you have the motivation to go make additional changes. And it just builds and builds on itself to where you become, you know, within a relatively short amount of time, not unrecognizable to those who've known you for 20 years. But for those who haven't known you for 20 years, they're like, who is this guy? You know, hello, everybody, and welcome to Rise and Grind. Of course, I'm your host, Thor Bailey, and today we're going to dive into what I feel is an essential and often overlooked topic: men's health. Joining me today is John Benson, the CEO of Game Day Men's Health Utah, a revolutionary network of clinics dedicated to empowering men to take control of their health and well-being. In a world where men often prioritize everything but their own health, Game Day is redefining the conversation around topics like low testosterone, erectile dysfunction, or ED, and just their overall wellness. John's mission is to create a comfortable, discrete environment where men can access personalized care without the stigma often associated with these conversations. In this episode, we'll explore John's journey in the field of ment's health, discuss the crucial services Game Day offers, and highlight why it's so vital for men to make their health a priority. From hormonal optimization to lifestyle changes, look, we're going to cut cover it all. So whether you're a man looking to improve your health or someone who just wants to better understand the challenges that men face, you don't want to miss this insightful discussion. So let's welcome right now John Benson to the show. John, how are you today? Doing great, Farrell. So great to be on with you today. Good. It's great to have you. I I think the best place to start is really your own journey into men's health. Can you share what really motivated you to enter this field and how your experiences may have shaped your passion for helping men? Yeah. I mean, I I think my my journey into men's health starts way before I got into this business. You know, last week my my daughter graduated high school, right? And I I still remember very vividly my wife being eight months pregnant, coming home from work one day and saying, today was my last day. And she kind of passed the baton to me, she's like, it's on you now. And we had always talked about she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. That was her dream. And um, you know, now I kind of felt that weight of the responsibility to provide for this family. And, you know, I've really, that's been my guiding force in my career ever since then. Um when I came across the the game day men's health concept, it really just spoke to me as a man, right? I've I've been through, you know, decades of of struggle and the effort that it takes to provide for family and do all the things that's required of us. And I know how hard that can be. And so, you know, I saw this as an opportunity not just to, you know, I have an interesting business opportunity, but really to make a difference in helping men improve their lives. Well, that sounds like a pivotal moment in your life to to make that decision to focus on men's health. Um as a CEO of Game Day Utah, what were some of the early challenges that you may have faced when when establishing or helping to establish this network of clinics and how did those experiences kind of fuel your commitment to this cause? So the reason that I got into this business in particular was that that concept of, hey, every business is hard. I knew that going in. I expected the challenges to come. And if you don't have something that drives you more than just you know making it making a dollar, you're just it's not going to be enough. And so I I came in with that kind of mission-driven or purpose-driven approach. And you know, everything is hard. Everything about starting a new business is hard. Hiring people, getting the right people on the team is a challenge. You know, you're trying to decide you know, every job we post, we get over a hundred candidates and trying to narrow that down to the one best person. And then finding out, you know, a few weeks in that maybe you made a mistake. That that's a challenge. And you know, that's I've certainly made that mistake many times. Um and then, you know, everything from trying to you know get the doors open, it is a medical business, and so there's a lot of regulate regulatory hoops for us to jump through. And you learn that as you go through. Every every problem you solve, um, you know, seems like if the hydra spurs three new problems that need to be solved. And and that's just the nature of it, you know. And it's to me, it's fun. That that's that's my version of fun. And maybe something's wrong with me, but it's just problem solving. And and you know, when we opened our first clinic a little over two years ago, um, we had zero patients come in, you know, that that was how that's how you start out. You start from zero. And and you know, seeing that first guy come in and you know, do the blood test. We do a free blood test here, right? So guys come into the to the clinic, they do a we do a blood test to see their testosterone levels. That's so foundational to men's health. We test that every single time. And you know, our first signups start come coming in. It's like, okay, like this is this is fun. Um, but the really the aha moment for me was um we check guys, recheck guys six weeks into their journey on testosterone, right? So the guys start coming back now. We're six weeks into the business, and we're doing our first round of follow-up appointments, and I can just see these are the same guys I met six weeks before, and they are literally different. Like you can see the light has come back on in their eyes, and they're like excited to come in this time. The first time made me kind of nervous, kind of timid, and now they're like, Hey, these guys look me in the eyes like John. Like, this has literally changed my life. You don't even know how grateful I am. We had one guy who said, you know, I didn't tell you this the first time I came in, John, but I was considering ending my life when I came in. I had been trying to find solutions to my depression and my mental health problems for over 10 years. Nothing had worked. And I was kind of like, I saw your ad, and I'll I'll give this one last college try. And I was, you know, I didn't know. I'm glad I didn't know. That was pretty heavy. And he said, you know, I'm still do I still have some depression, but I finally have the hope that I can solve this, and I have finally have the the motivation to go get back on track, you know, and those moments for me thorough were like this is everything I thought I was getting into, and it was the biggest payday you can imagine, and that's that's kept me going the whole time. Yeah, and we're gonna dive more into the the mental health side as well, but you know Games Day Men's Health is your approach is to redefine how men approach their health. And why do you feel it's crucial, first of all, for men to prioritize their health and and talk about some of the barriers that keep men like us from doing that? You know, so going back to kind of where I started with me in my own journey, right, is a as a father, a new father, and you know 15, 20 years of of, or I guess now 18 years of of being a father, I'm used to kind of putting myself last, right? I'll I'll sp I'll spend money all day long on my kids, my wife, their activities, their passions, their pursuits. Uh but I won't spend an extra 10 buc on you know getting the nice protein for me, right? That's true. That's just how it is. Like that's just, I don't know if we're all hardwired that way to put ourselves last. Um, but I think what I've learned is you know, that that has its place. Certainly, you don't want to become a me first or a selfish person. But if you don't take care of your own self, if you neglect yourself too much, then you're just not going to have anything to give. And I think that that was a big realization for me that hey, if I take care of myself, I have so much more to give back to my family. You know, when I come home from work now and I have energy and I want to hang out with the kids and I want to do activities with them, and like it's way more enjoyable for everybody than me just coming home, just beat, you know, and all I want to do is, you know, sit in front of the TV for a couple hours and then you know clock out for the day and go to bed. Like that's not I I guess I didn't realize that all that sacrifice that I thought was benefiting them was actually just it was going too far. And so you have to find that balance. Well, you're right. And and uh I think often sometimes, because I I think all men at a certain level kind of go through that, but not taking care of yourself is in a way a little selfish as well. Because we all want to we want to be there for our families, right? We want to yeah, we want to help give them a good life and be around as a father, but um to to have that priority to make sure we're doing the things that we need to do to continue to do those things we love to do for our families. So that's a great great point, John. Um you emphasize creating a a comfortable environment for men who are seeking that kind of help that you just talked about. Why is it so essential to to address that stigma, right? The stigma that's around issues like low testosterone or or ED or erectile dysfunction. Yeah, it's a great question. I I think one of the things that as common in in our industry, in the healthcare industry, men don't like going to the doctor. They don't like sitting in a stuffy waiting room, they don't like having their time wasted, right? How many times have you gone to the doctor only to sit in the waiting room for 45 minutes to wait your term? And so, you know, game day men's health was really designed around the man and what they're looking for, right? You come into one of our clinics and you you've seen it. We had you come in the door, and it's like, this is cool. It's like a lounge. You know, there's there's big screen TVs, ESPN on all of them. We've got stacks and drinks. Um, all the staff is super friendly. Um, you know, when you come in, you you there's nobody else here for the most part. I mean, there might be a couple of guys doing a quick thing, but really we do it by appointment, and it's all designed around, hey, we're when you show up, we're ready. Let's go. Yeah. If you're gonna be in that chair getting a blood draw within a couple minutes, or we're gonna start spinning down, like we're doing your labs right here while you're here. Um, so you have maybe a couple minutes of downtime waiting for your labs to get done, but you know, within what, 45 minutes or whatever it is, you get lab results, you meet with the provider, you go through a health history in depth. We understand what your goals are, we have a customized treatment plan ready for you, and you can get started, you know? And so, you know, that that again, that concept is like, shape, we're not gonna waste your time, we're gonna make it enjoyable, and we're just cutting down the barriers. And it's kind of a cool brand, you know. Like that, you know, game day, it's like, okay, I get it, you know. Yeah, um, you know, I've been watching, you know, game day on on Sports Center for 20 years, Saturday mornings. And so, you know, I didn't come up with the brand, obviously. But when I when I look at Game Day Men's Health, I'm like, yeah, I would go there. Like I knew I I would want to be a part of that before I even learned all the details. And so that that's just again, the whole thing is designed around making the the experience uh make sense for the modern men. Well, you mentioned me coming and having that experience. It was interesting when I came in for my consultation. I I walked in there and it kind of felt like I was walking into a the locker room. Well, you know, the the high-level NBA locker room with you know with with the couches and and the TVs on. I think you have one of the games on. Um, so it was really comfortable. Yeah. I think one of the things that a lot of men associate, and you don't necessarily have to be a a big sports person, but it's just that feeling that like you're in this comfortable atmosphere. You got your snacks over there. I'm gonna grab a little drink, I'm gonna just chill out right here. Kind of like a man cave in a way. Yeah. Really upscale man caves. How does the culture of games day men's health differ from like traditional experiences? You kind of describe that somewhat and the approach when when men walk in. But are there any other strategies that you have to make men feel more at ease when they walk into a game day? Yeah, so I don't know if there's a strategy or more cultural, but um you know, healthcare at large, I feel like, and maybe this is too waxing too like philosoph philosophical, but you know, healthcare, this healthcare system is designed around like people who are sick. And so so many guys they go into a doctor and they're like, I've got all these symptoms, I've heard about testosterone. Can you get my levels checked? And we hear this all the time. The doctors will say, Hey, you're fine, you know, you're just getting older. We're not we don't need to check that. And if they can persuade the doctor to check it, then their levels come back, and it's like the range of normal is you know this big. I don't know if you see my hands, but it's huge. I think it's 200 to 1,000 on our on our devices. That's normal, right? But uh, you know, I can tell you from experience, if you're if your levels are 200, 300, you're probably not feeling good. So you might be normal, but you're not optimal. And so um there's a a level of, I don't know if I'd say shame or stigma, but if even in the medical community at large, the traditional healthcare model, I should say, where it's like, hey, if you're if you're in the normal range, you're fine. Um stop complaining, you know, well, we're not gonna put you on those treatments. And so our our approach is very different. Obviously, we are are medical as well, um, but maybe more forward thinking in that we're thinking about not just how do you feel today and getting you feeling better today, but we want you feeling great for 10, 20, 30 years from now as well. And you know, not just extending your life, but extending your quality of life. And so that optimization approach is very different. Um, it's not just, you know, what what is the the absolute bare minimum we can do for you medically? It's kind of the opposite. Hey, what's the most we can do for you to get your feeling your best, looking your best, being at the top of your game? And you know, that's you know, LeBron James and some of those top athletes, they've they crafted that code long ago. Investing in your body and your health pays off. Obviously, they're these are these are pro athletes, right? And you you've been a pro athlete, you get it. Um, but you know, it's it's a it's an apt analogy for life that the men who are investing in their health today in their 40s, 50s, 60s are the men who are gonna be feeling great and running around playing golf still in their 80s, 90s, right? And the guys who were neglecting their bodies in their 40s are the guys who were even not even gonna be around their 80s and 90s, right? So that that's our approach. It's just it's the holistic, it's the long term. And so every single guy that comes in with a request, it's like we're looking for how can we get to a yes, you know, safely for the the goals that you have, rather than how can I talk you out of this thing that you've already done your homework on and tell you well I know better because I'm the doctor. Well, I I certainly hope a lot of my peers are gonna be watching this episode because um it's it's tough sometimes seeing a lot of these guys' health fail them after they have been in such an amazing position health-wise when they played. So my next question to you is um what lifestyle changes do you recommend for for men looking to maintain or improve their testosterone levels or they're even their overall health? Yeah. I mean, look, I'm not gonna tell break any new ground right now. Are you sleeping well? Are you eating well? Are you well hydrated? Are you um exercising, right? So resistance training, particularly um, you know, basic compound lifts like a squat, a deadlift, um, you know, or if you haven't been in the gym in 20 years, don't don't walk in and do deadlifts tomorrow. Uh maybe work with a trainer. But if you're doing these things, you know, if you're taking care of the basics at a top level, you might still have a low testosterone problem. Any you know, any same as a diabetic might still have low insulin um right in their bodies. It's a hormone that your body produces or doesn't. Um, but certainly taking care of your body is gonna give you the best chance of at feeling good at at having overall good health. And so, you know, we actually start most of our consuls that way. Like, tell me about your sleep, your sleep habits. What time do you go to bed? What time do you wake up? How often do you sleep wake up during the night? How often do you um stay up past 2 a.m.? So we kind of ask some of those questions. Tell tell us about your diet. And so understanding those things, you can guide um a lot of positive improvements. And it's you know, it's no money in our pockets to have you go eat better or have you think better. Um, but you might get, you know, halfway there just by making good choices. And then you can kind of see what's left. Because again, you can do all that right, and it's like, I still don't quite feel right. Well, let's get you on some testosterone. Um, you know, more than half of men that we see need testosterone, regardless of any lifestyle changes they might be able to make. Uh, and then the testosterone itself gives them added motivation and energy to pursue those additional lifestyles. So it's like it's a double whammy. You feel better, you have more energy, and now you have the motivation to go make additional changes, and it just builds and builds on itself to where you become, you know, within a relatively short amount of time, not unrecognizable to those who've known you for 20 years, but for those who haven't known you for 20 years, they're like, Who is this guy? You know, my my wife, her comment to me a few weeks into treatment was you're fun again. Was like, I wasn't fun. She's like, you weren't as fun, you know. You were just kind of tired, and um, she's like, it's fun to have you back. So it's not that I became this new person, I became the best version of me. Oh, that's great information. Great information, John. And we're talking to John Benson, CEO of Games Day Men's Health, Utah. We will be right back with more health conversation. Stay with us on Rise and Grying. Hey guys, time out. You know, you give your best to your work, your family, and your responsibilities. But to keep showing up strong, you've got to stay dialed in. At Game Day Men's Health, the nation's leading men's clinic, they help you get back in the game with a custom game plan built around your labs, your goals, and your performance. Testosterone, peptides, real optimization. Come in today for a free testosterone test and consult. Tell them Big T sent you, and you get 50% off your first year membership. Game Daymenshealth.com. Victory starts within. Welcome back to Rise and Grind, everybody. We're having an amazing conversation about men's health today with John Benson, CEO of Game Day Men's Health, Utah. And John, let's get into the the mental health part. Um, you know, as a passionate advocate for men's health, how do you see the link between the physical wellness and the mental health part, especially uh in your clients' interactions? I know you you gave us a a story about one of your clients, but let's speak about that mental health part a little bit deeper. Yeah. Um so you know, first of all, we don't treat mental health here directly. Um part of what we do. It's more indirect. Um but the the link between body and mind is um you know long been discussed and and shown and proven. Um you're a you're a former pro athlete, and so you've seen it everybody at the top of their game or Working with you know the best performance coaches, and a lot of that is the mental side, right? Um, your mentality, the way that you train, a lot of that is just mental, a mental fortitude that you have and you bring to the game. And so um, you know, I'd say to anybody struggling with any kind of mental health challenges, and men in particular, you know, get the help that you need. And there's no there's no shame in asking for help. In fact, I would say you know, to your comment earlier, Thoral, it's kind of selfish not to get the help because um if you're struggling, you're not yourself, you're not able to show up for the people who count on you. And so, you know, get the help that you need. Um there's a very strong link between the body and the mind. And so we we focus on the physical side of that equation. When you're not feeling good physically, um your mental health suffers as well. And it goes the other way around. And so, you know, we focus on how do we get you feeling great physically? The our primary treatment here is testosterone and hormone replacement therapy. And certainly having low testosterone affects your mental health in a big way. I mean, it it touches many different systems uh physically and mentally and emotionally. And so, you know, that one of the first things that guys notice on treatment with us is how much better they feel what we call it life enjoyment. It's kind of an industry term for you just enjoy life again. Um and it's it's kind of this sounds funny until you've experienced it. Um, but how many guys are just not experiencing the things they used to? You know, they used to love golf or fishing, and now they don't really do those things anymore. And you you think that life just kind of overtakes you and you get too busy for it. And that is true to a degree, but part of it is you just don't enjoy those things. And so, you know, these are wording signs that you should pay attention to that you're just not yourself. If you're not enjoying, you know, you used to love fill in the blank, basketball. Used to love playing basketball with my kids, and now I never do it. Um, that's that's probably a uh yellow flag, at least, that something might be off and worth checking out. Um, you know, refocus on the testosterone thing here, as well as other things, uh obviously that we do here, but um you know take care of the machinery. That's that's uh check engine light, right, is going off in your brain um if you're not if you're not feeling good. And there's a lot, you know, a lot of things that you can say you're not yourself. Check in with people around you, loved ones, because a lot of them will say things like, Hey, are you are you okay? You don't quite seem you know, you haven't seemed yourself, or you seem a little bit off. You know, those comments you should pay attention to as well, because the the people who are around you and observing you from the outside, um, they know it. So, you know, I would just encourage everybody get the help you need. Um, because you know, we we value human life, we value you have value as a human inherently, and and it's not you know, it's not something you need to hide from, just go get the help. Yeah. I like what you said, take care of the machinery. Man, that's that's straight to the point. Um, you you talked about some of the other things that you do there. Let's expound on those. Okay, so Game Day has four of a core four of treatment options. Um, hormone replacement therapy being number one. Number two is weight loss. Super common now and and more well known. The GLP1 drugs, the miracle drugs for weight loss. These drugs truly are miraculous. I've seen it change so many people's lives, men and women both. Um, they work well, but do them do them properly, do them under medical supervision. Um, we are very, very um careful about the sources we get these um prescriptions from. You can get this stuff from you know cheap online options now or with or without um you know doctor oversight. Everything we do at game day is done right, it's done correctly. You can be assured of that. From the sourcing to the medical oversight, making sure that these treatments are good for you, that you're having frequent check-ins um with the medical practitioner. And so, you know, weight loss, number two. Uh, number three would be uh sexual wellness, um, you know, which is obviously something that it is important. If you're in a relationship, having a healthy sex life is is critical to maintain that relationship long term. And so we want to make sure that you can show up your best. Um, I think the term erectile dysfunction is doing a disservice to this industry because dysfunction sounds like there's something wrong with you. Right. People think, hey, I'm not I'm not 80 years old, I don't have ED. And it's like, okay, but are you are you performing the same you were 10 years ago or 20 years ago? The answer to that's probably no, right? And so we like to use the word optimization or EO. It's like, hey, just get a tune-up on the machine or you know, go back to that analogy. Um a little tune-up, and we have great services here from shockwave therapy um to P shots to all the pills and things of, of course, that people are familiar with. And so it's just making sure again that you're you're showing your best in your as your best in your relationship. And so that's a key part of men's health physically and and mentally. And then finally, is the the peptide category, which is super exciting. There's peptides for so many different things now. We focus here on performance and recovery peptides, so things that can help you burn fat, gain muscle, improve your recovery from injuries short and long term, and then just longevity peptides, making sure that you're aging your best. And so peptides kind of this whole own category. There's sleep peptides. I mean, there's peptides for kind of everything coming out these days, very exciting area of medicine, uh, something that we do really well out here at game day, and something we're very excited about. And those are our core four services. So, John, looking looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of uh of game day, men's health, and and what impact do you wish to have on the conversation surrounding men's health overall? My hope for game day, you know, and I'm just a Utah guy. Game day is a big network. There's over 400 game days nationwide, um, started by a guy named Evan Miller, who's a good friend of mine in California a few years back. Uh, the future for game day is bright. It's the largest men's health network in the country. And we have our little corner here in Utah that we're proud of. There's a handful of owners that own different locations. I have the bountiful and Cottonwood Heights location. And so my you know, my aspirations, if you want to call it that, or my hopes for Game Day is that it continues to be the leading brand for the next 10, 20, 30 years in men's health. The treatments are going to evolve. That's that's expected. And game day is gonna be at the front of that. I can tell you that with certainty. We already have um the you know, the big pharmaceuticals, they come to us first now and say, hey, we've got this new thing that we're working on. We'd love to roll this out in game days. We're very selective. I've been aware of some of those conversations that happen on the corporate level, not my level, but um you know, very selective about what's brought into the system, making sure it's done well, that it's safe, that it's effective, and it's not just the latest and greatest fad. Um, but I think men's health in 10 years could look very different than it does today. Maybe testosterone is administered in different routes or different things. Maybe it's not testosterone that we're talking about in 10 years. Um, but the game day will be part of that conversation and should be the leading voice in helping shape those decisions. But we we just want to do what's best for men and make sure that, you know, my my goal here in Utah is to help as many men as possible. I think that when men are feeling great and they're doing their best, they are gonna be the strongest voice they can be within their families, within their communities, and they can do the most good if they're at the top of their games. And that that's why I'm passionate about it, that's why I got into it. That's what's gonna keep me going long-term here. Well, John, you just talked about um you've got Game Day Men's Health has many locations across the country. Right now you're you're speaking to thousands and thousands of men out there. What's your final advice? What final advice would you give men who may be hesitant to really take that first step to addressing their health issues? Speak to them. My advice is go in. Go into a game day. There's probably one close, you know, in your community with how many we have. You can go in, it's literally free. It's gonna be an enjoyable experience. Uh, maybe the blood draw itself isn't your favorite thing, but that's gonna be a quick pinch and you're done. You're gonna get real answers from a real medical practitioner and it's gonna cost you nothing. You have literally have nothing to lose except maybe an hour of your time, but you can get real answers, real information that's gonna inform your health choices for decades. And so, you know, if you're hesitant, I understand it. I've been in your shoes. You kind of think, you know, what is this? Does this company have my best interest in mind? Um, we've treated hundreds of thousands of men across the country, and that number is only growing. And so my advice would be just go, you know, bite the bullet and go in. Take take the time to do it. Um, and you know, at the worst, you come out with your testosterone number and a free kittle bar and a soda, and you're on your way. Uh, at the best, you can find that there's some ways you can really improve your life, and it's not expensive. Um, and it's it's gonna make you you know the best version of you. John, great information. Really appreciate you coming on and sharing this with us. Uh there's no question that we as men need to take better care of ourselves so we can continue to take care of the ones that we love. So I want to thank everybody for joining us for this enlightening episode of Rise and Grind. We hope John Benson's insights into men's health and his passion for empowering others resonated with you. I want you to remember that prioritizing your health is so essential, and there are resources available to help you on that journey. As you move forward, keep in mind the importance of taking actionable steps towards your well-being. Just like John encourages. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode with friends or anyone who might benefit from John's message. Join us next time for more inspiring stories and practical advice on how to rise above challenges and grind towards your goals. Until then, keep rising and grinding and take care of yourselves.