Why Your Health is the Ultimate KPI with Branding Powerhouse Monica Kline

In this episode of Crush & Climb, Jason McClain sits down with his dear friend and branding powerhouse, Monica Kline. Monica is a woman of extreme grit, having climbed the corporate ladder to Executive VP before building her own multi-million dollar branding empire.

But her journey wasn’t just about profit; it was about survival. Monica shares the raw truth about being a single mother, navigating life-threatening personal trauma, and the “God moments” that forced her to realize that without health, there is no wealth.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The 4.0 Version of Success: How Monica pivoted from a workaholic EVP to a health-conscious visionary.
• Health as a KPI: Why you should monitor your biology with the same intensity you monitor your business metrics.
• Overcoming the Odds: Monica’s story of being a woman of color in an era that wasn’t always “cool,” and how she turned that into her superpower.
• The 120 Life: Why Monica is part of a movement of entrepreneurs striving to live to 120 through radical health optimization.
• Money Solves Problems: A candid look at why financial independence is the ultimate tool for freedom and safety.

Watch now to learn how to optimize your life for the long game.

Monica Kline, branding expert, women in business, health optimization, entrepreneurship, longevity, grit, financial independence, trauma recovery, mindset, body optimization, Jason McClain, Crush and Climb, business strategy, scaling a business, health KPIs, epigenetics, single mother success.

• (00:00:00) - What They Need To Know About Narcissism
• (00:00:50) - CRUSH AND CLIMB
• (00:01:57) - Crush and Climb: Cloud 9 Chardonnay
• (00:04:11) - Monica Klein on Becoming a Businesswoman
• (00:07:24) - Monica Knowles on Money and Success
• (00:13:40) - One business owner's battle with anxiety
• (00:15:49) - What Are Your Greatest Flights Of Fancy?
• (00:19:35) - How to Stop Powering Through Your Health
• (00:22:35) - How to Prevent Alzheimer's Early in Life
• (00:26:05) - What Will You Do With the Time You Have Left?
• (00:31:32) - How my sister's cancer diagnosis impacted my business plan
• (00:35:38) - Monica 4.0: On Health and Healing
• (00:38:30) - What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?
• (00:40:13) - Monica Winery: A Wine That Matters
• (00:44:13) - Blow Up, Climb: Crush & Grind

In this candid episode of the Crush & Climb Podcast, host Jason McClain delivers a raw and personal look at the challenges of aging, the noise of modern life, and the critical need to live deliberately. Drawing on his own recent struggles—including a rotator cuff injury and the chaos of juggling family and multiple businesses—Jason shares the surprising, life-changing lesson he learned in physical therapy: “Stop before the pain begins.”

This isn’t just about physical health; it’s a profound metaphor for life, career, and relationships. Jason challenges the common “push through the pain” mindset, arguing that constantly fighting against boundaries leads to exhaustion, anxiety, and a feeling of just existing rather than living.

He introduces a powerful framework to help listeners evaluate their current state, asking them to “Examine the Noise Level of Your Life” through a simple self-assessment. Based on your “decibel level,” you’ll discover whether you are actively making strong choices or caught in a cycle of jitters and chaos.

Key Takeaways:

• The Physical and Emotional Cost of “Pushing Through”: Jason shares how his rotator cuff injury revealed a deeper pattern of always fighting, leading him to question if he’s constantly pushing past the boundaries of what’s healthy in all areas of his life.
• The Power of Stopping Before the Pain: Discover the counter-intuitive wisdom of recognizing your breaking point and stepping back before you hit it—a strategy for long-term strength, not weakness.
• Examine Your “Noise Level”: Learn the three-tier system (0-35, 40-65, 70-100 decibels) to gauge the mental and emotional chaos in your life, providing immediate clarity on where you stand.
• Carpe Diem, Redefined: Jason issues a powerful challenge to stop living for an uncertain tomorrow and start making today matter by prioritizing the people and passions that bring true joy.
• A Call to Climb: The episode concludes with an emotional call to action: “Your job, your mission, is to make this day the very best.”

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Pivot to Purpose Conclave: An upcoming two-day intensive event dedicated to helping individuals move from crisis to clarity in business and life. (Learn more at Breakthrough Publishing)
• Jason McClain’s Books: Island of One and Pivot to Profit.
• Follow the Podcast, Crush and Climb.
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crush-and-climb/id1834770883
• Spotify Podcasts: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/crush-and-climb/
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/da508dd9-3349-478b-8e90-72ea5c2252a8/crush-and-climb
• iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/292074359/
• Websites:
• https://www.CrushandClimb.com
• https://www.JasonMcClain.com
• https://www.breakthroughpublishing.net
• Follow on Social Media:
• Crush and Climb: @CrushAndClimb
• https://www.instagram.com/crushandclimb
• https://www.facebook.com/crushandclimb
• Jason McClain: @JasonCMcClain
• https://www.instagram.com/jasoncmcclain
• https://www.facebook.com/jasoncmcclain
• Get Jason’s Books on Amazon:,
• “Pivot to Profit: Turning Failures into Fuel”: https://amzn.to/42DNWuA
• This book is for the entrepreneur, the leader, and the salesperson who recognizes that the path to profit is not a straight line. It’s for you if you’re tired...

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like you’re an imposter just waiting to be found out? What if that feeling could be your greatest superpower?

In this incredible throwback episode from the “Life Can Change” archives, Crush & Climb host Jason McClain sits down with marketing executive and entrepreneur Joshua Roache. Josh shares his raw and powerful journey from a tough upbringing and living out of his Honda Civic as a homeless teenager to becoming a Chief Marketing Officer.

This isn’t just a rags-to-riches story; it’s a deep dive into the psychology of success. Josh reveals how he harnessed the feeling of being an “imposter” and used it as a tool to become the person he wanted to be. He explains why he stopped focusing on “working harder” and instead dedicated himself to one thing: getting better results.

If you’ve ever doubted your own abilities or felt like the odds are stacked against you, this conversation will give you the mindset and the strategy to not only overcome but to dominate.

What You’ll Learn:

• The Imposter’s Advantage: How to reframe “faking it ’til you make it” into a powerful tool for growth.

• Results Over Everything: Why focusing on delivering superior results is the ultimate equalizer, regardless of your background or education.

• The Power of Discipline: The daily routines and non-negotiables required to build a life of success from scratch.

• Defining True Freedom: How to find balance and create a life based on your own terms, not the expectations of others.

• How to define and pursue true freedom in a world that constantly tries to put you in a box.

Prepare to be inspired. This is a story you won’t forget.

Follow the Podcast, Crush and Climb.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crush-and-climb/id1834770883
Spotify Podcasts: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/crush-and-climb/
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/da508dd9-3349-478b-8e90-72ea5c2252a8/crush-and-climb
iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/292074359/

Websites:
https://www.CrushandClimb.com
https://www.JasonMcClain.com
https://www.breakthroughpublishing.net

Follow on Social Media:
Crush and Climb: @CrushAndClimb
https://www.instagram.com/crushandclimb
https://www.facebook.com/crushandclimb

Jason McClain: @JasonCMcClain
https://www.instagram.com/jasoncmcclain
https://www.facebook.com/jasoncmcclain

Get Jason’s Books on Amazon:,
“Pivot to Profit: Turning Failures into Fuel”: https://amzn.to/42DNWuA
This book is for the entrepreneur, the leader, and the salesperson who recognizes that the path to profit is not a straight line. It’s for you if you’re tired of reacting to crises and ready to systematically turn every obstacle into an opportunity. It’s for those who want to stop treating failure as a verdict and start using it as data.

McClain provides his battle-tested, four-stage blueprint, the R.I.S.E. System, forged in the fire of his own professional disasters. This is the exact framework he used to bounce forward from ruin to build a thriving luxury wine brand and multiple successful companies.

“Island of One: Born Different. Built to Thrive” : https://amzn.to/42Go94Z
“Island of One” is a powerful call to action, reminding you that your unique design is not a mistake, but a magnificent blueprint for success. Discover how to live deliberately, connect authentically from a place of wholeness, and make a meaningful impact, transforming your “island” into a beacon of hope for yourself and others. Your thriving life isn’t a distant dream—it’s an imminent reality, waiting for your conscious, courageous “Yes!”

This isn’t just his story; it’s a universal blueprint for anyone seeking to transform perceived limitations into their g...