Feb 12, 2025 · 1h 14m · bigdeal
WATCH THIS EVERY DAY To Brainwash Yourself! I Devon Levesque
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Entrepreneur and endurance athlete Devon Levesque sits down with Codie Sanchez to break down his philosophy on escaping the conventional rat race, sharing how extreme outdoor expeditions, disciplined simplicity, authentic community building, and nine-figure entrepreneurial exits can forge a deeply fulfilling life.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Codie holds 28.6% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Codie as informed peer 4.0 Guest teaching 4.5 Guest disagreement 1.2 Codie pushing back 0.6
speaking balance: gold is Codie, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 20:53 Calling conventional priorities crazy
Devon forcefully rejects the standard career-first mindset, arguing that prioritizing work and money over fun is genuinely crazy and insisting anyone can make money simply.
Hardest push from Codie ▶ 52:29 Host challenges recreational cannabis safetyCodie pushes back against casual cannabis consumption, warning about criminal THC potency levels in modern products and detailing extreme clinical risks.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 49:44 Explaining prebiotic and probiotic biologyDevon breaks down the science of gut health, explaining how flavored yogurts destroy probiotics and how baobab-derived prebiotics restore the gut lining.
Codie holds their own ▶ 33:38 Codie breaks down pre-IPO lockup mechanicsCodie demonstrates superior financial knowledge by contextualizing Devon's stock loss within private equity and 90-day post-IPO lockup volatility.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Codie as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Codie pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surviving Mount Everest: Summiting, Conditions, and Objective Hazards | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | Codie introduces mountaineering statistics and asks about Everest hazards. Devon details the extreme weather windows, mortality rates, and cutthroat human dynamics above Camp 2. | |
| Near-Death Ledge Rescue and the Mountaineering Mindset | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Codie asks about close-call incidents on steep terrain. Devon recounts catching a falling climber dangling over a thousand-foot ledge and contrasts his family values against extreme lone-wolf mountaineers. | |
| Climbing for Inner Calm versus the High-Stakes Rat Race | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Devon reframes high-altitude pursuit as identical to the Wall Street rat race if driven by ego, quoting Marcus Aurelius on seeking mental calmness. Codie asks what motivated him to attempt the climb. | |
| Promotional Announcement: Owner Nation Virtual Event | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Codie delivers a mid-roll promotional pitch for Owner Nation, explaining small-business equity acquisition strategies before returning to ask Devon about his early financial situation. | |
| Advice for Youth: Travel, Vision, and Obsessive Focus | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Devon offers advice for young people starting in blue-collar work, advocating global travel, hospitality hustle, and reverse-engineering long-term goals. Codie agrees on the competitive edge of sheer obsession. | |
| Scheduling Fun First and the Accessibility of Simplicity | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Devon adamantly claims anyone can choose simple living or make money easily, dismissing excuses about cost of living. Codie gently challenges the practicality for typical earners before conceding Devon has lived that minimalism. | |
| Building Authentic Partnerships: Teaming Up with Jesse Itzler | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Devon shares how doing distinct challenges attracted Jesse Itzler and led to high-trust handshake deals. Codie cites Warren Buffett's philosophy that contracts cannot save you from bad partners. | |
| The All Day Running Festival and the Chinese Farmer Parable | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Devon explains the laid-back format of Running Man and shares the Chinese farmer parable regarding life acceptance. Codie connects the philosophy to setting directional rather than overly strict new year goals. | |
| Learning from Costly Mistakes and Avoiding the Public Market | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Devon details a $200k financial mistake caused by not knowing how to liquidate stock. Codie validates the experience with her own venture lessons regarding 90-day lockup periods in pre-IPO cannabis companies. | |
| Sweet Honey Farm: Creating a Wellness CSA Community | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Devon breaks down the CSA subscription model behind Sweet Honey Farm, converting an expensive property into a profitable community hub. Codie explores the economics and operational screening. | |
| Authenticity, Social Media, and Upbringing | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Devon and Codie discuss authenticity on social media and how his independent upbringing shaped his nonconformist mindset. Codie reflects on how inauthenticity is easily spotted online. | |
| Rethinking Education: Experiential Learning and Identifying Your Passion | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Codie asks whether university is necessary for young people today. Devon argues school is only valuable if aligned with one's learning style, urging youth to notice what gives them genuine excitement. | |
| Scrappy Entrepreneurship and Long-Term Business Sustainability | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Devon recounts sneaking out of military school to scalp McDonald's burgers to pay his phone bill, contrasting quick snake-oil arbitrage with long-term brand building like Promix. | |
| Kilimanjaro Discovery: Baobab Fruit and Gut Health Formulation | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | Devon explains discovering baobab seed in Tanzania and formulating the D-Bloat supplement around prebiotics and gut health. Christian fact-checks the botanical difference between nuts and seeds. | |
| Lifestyle Choices: Moderation, Cannabis, and Finding Balance | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Devon admits to using cannabis and drinking beer with friends. Codie pushes back citing her industry expertise and family experiences with Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome and synthetic potency risks. | |
| Combating the Male Loneliness Epidemic Through Community | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Codie raises the young male loneliness epidemic. Devon advocates building tight-knit mastermind circles and joining active physical communities to prevent isolated overthinking. | |
| Defining Five Core Values and the Power of Saying No | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Devon details his strict filter of five core values and how he audits his obligations with a whiteboard. Codie affirms the necessity of annual pruning to avoid operational misery. | |
| Daily Schedule Auditing and Distinguishing Needs from Wants | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | Devon emphasizes daily calendar audits and cutting non-essential wants, citing his sisters asking for nothing after the Promix sale. Codie references Tim Ferriss's insights on the discipline of saying no. | |
| Rapid-Fire Questions: Farm Animals, Saunas, and the Promix Exit | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Codie conducts rapid-fire questions covering farm animals, sauna costs, and congratulates Devon on his nine-figure Promix exit before wrapping up on grit and self-belief. |
Statements from this episode (20)
Levesque: Obsessively climbing mountains is the same rat race as Wall Street
“I put those people in the same category of humans that are in the rat race on wall street. It's the same thing. It's just a different industry. You know, you're still trying to climb the biggest mountain and do it the fastest and be out there. And You know, it…”
Devon Levesque made his first million selling a fitness training business
“I was training people in New York, and so I saved up some good money there, and then I built a training business and sold that. And that's kind of how I made my first million”
Sanchez: High intelligence is beatable, but extreme obsession is almost unbeatable
“I can beat intelligence. But it's super hard to beat somebody who's obsessed, more obsessed than I am.”
Levesque: Schedule recreation and workouts first, fitting work in between
“I put it first on the calendar. That's that. If I'm making my calendar throughout the day, it's I'm going to go mountain biking. I'm going to sign a cold plunge. I'm going to work out. And if I have time, I'll work in between. And that's just very simple.”
Levesque: Earning money is relatively simple today, especially in America
“Like there's not, it's not that hard to make money. It's very simple to make money in this world, especially in the United States of America.”
Levesque partnered with Jesse Itzler without reading the contract beyond equity terms
“When he came to me about all day running I was, I didn't even, to be honest, I didn't even look at the paperwork. I know how much equity I own in the business, but like, besides that, I was like, I trust this guy, you know, I saw it, DocuSign came in, I signed…”
Levesque: All Day Running tested roughly 20 concepts at launch
“All day running, We started with like, 20 different concepts. We started with a calendar. We started with, you know, daily workouts. We started with gear. We started with a monthly call. We started with run clubs, and we do that on purpose. Throw, throw it at …”
Levesque lost $200,000 on a stock because he couldn't execute the sale
“I made an investment maybe like four years ago, and the investment it was like, it was a small amount. I think it was like 10 grand to make two 50. It was a great return, right? And on the day where I was supposed to cash out the two 50, I didn't know how to c…”
Sanchez avoids public stocks because outsiders have too much influence on outcomes
“So I never really like investing in the stock market for that reason. Too many other people can influence your outcome.”
Levesque charges $7,500 annually for his all-inclusive, alcohol-free Sweet Honey Farm
“7500 for the year, and you get everything. It's, I'm just putting, you know, I'm not serving alcohol there's no drugs, it's just very, come and feel good.”
Levesque claims his private farm has 20 members with $200M+ company exits
“I would say there's, Shoot, maybe 20 members there that have all sold their company for over two hundred million, they cashed out, and they just come for the day and hang out.”
Devon Levesque: Sweet Honey Farm has a 10,000-person waitlist
“There's 10,000 people on the wait list.”
Levesque: Hype businesses are like nightclubs; build sustainable restaurants instead
“A good analogy is nightclubs versus restaurants. Nightclubs are in and out. They're quick two, three years. They're hot in the city. People go to them. And then, you know, three years later, they rebrand new nightclub. I like the restaurant that's open for 253…”
Levesque admits his Antarctica expedition with Diplo generated zero profit
“Did I make, did we make money on the Diplo and Erica trip? No. Zero. You know what I mean? First couple of years of running man, we've made no money.”
Levesque resolves major decisions by individually polling a 12-friend group chat
“When I have a big decision to make, I have a group chat of 12 of my buddies, I call each one of my buddies and I say the exact same issue to each one... And out of those 12 guys, I come up with my answer.”
Levesque: I Reject Any Opportunity That Conflicts With My Five Values
“Cody, if there's something on my schedule that doesn't lie with one of those fives, a person, a place, a thing, a business opportunity, an investment, I'm just not doing it. I don't give a fuck. I'm not doing it. I'm just not doing it. It's, that's how stubbor…”
Levesque refuses to do any activity unless scheduled in Microsoft Outlook
“I don't do anything if it's not in my schedule and outlook. I look at my schedule. I mean, feeding the dogs, going to the farm, sauna, cold plunging, it's all on there.”
Levesque: Promix Nutrition was recently sold
“We just sold Promix, and I asked all my sisters, what do you need? And they all said, nothing. We're good.”
Levesque paid $250,000 entirely out of pocket to climb Mount Everest
“250,000 dollars.
[4169] SPEAKER_05: Wow.
[4170] Codie Sanchez: And two months.
[4171] Codie Sanchez: That's wild.
[4172] SPEAKER_14: Yeah.
[4172] Codie Sanchez: .
[4173] Devon Levesque: And no sponsors. That was all out of pocket.”