Bret Johnson On Overcoming Gambling Addiction, Paying off $500k in Debt & Saving His Marriage

Dec 15, 2022

Today's guest is Bret Johnson. Bret began his career as a Quarterback at UCLA and Michigan State University, and later finished his career in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and a quick stint with the Atlanta Falcons.Now, he continues to apply his love for coaching to his clients and staff. Bret (the other half of Team Johnson and SmartLife Inc.) has built several multimillion-dollar lifestyle companies with his wife Chalene, and has taught countless others how to do the same. But, there’s another side of the story you may not be familiar with. Bret had a crippling gambling addiction years ago that went untold for some time. When it was all said and done Bret (and Chalene) had accumulated $500k in debt due to Bret’s addiction. After hitting rock bottom, Bret transformed his life, paid off the debt and the rest is history.  He is here to tell you the complete story from start to finish and more. 

 

What to Listen For:

 

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:16 How did Bret’s gambling addiction start?
• 05:04 Why the NFL wouldn’t have stopped his addiction
• 07:18 A day in the life of a gambling addict
• 10:22 Chalene catches Bret
• 13:27 Bret’s “all or nothing” mentality
• 16:06 3 ways to deal with an addict that you love
• 17:45 Paying off $500k in debt
• 22:03 Rebuilding trust with Chalene
• 24:35 Having a healthy “money mindset”
• 27:00 How to take a cheap family vacation while paying off debt
• 29:11 Bret’s process for building wealth
• 32:21 He spends his money on THESE two things
• 34:24 How therapy has helped their kids
• 37:55 Bret’s love for fitness
• 41:20 Why schools should teach financial literacy 
• 47:10 The importance of having financial goals early on
• 50:13 What does Bret teach in his course?

Episode Resources:

 

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