April 25, 2019
Angelo Keely is COO and Co-founder of Kion as well as a true renaissance man of many talents – including beatboxing, music, art, and more. He's also a wizard at creating a healthy and robust company culture and is building one of the most impressive, high-quality nutrition and supplement formulation companies on the face of the planet.
From his near-death experience on an LSD trip to his impressive daily routine, we delve into his life and valuable experience on this podcast.
Who is Angelo Keely?
Angelo is a uniquely human-focused entrepreneur and business leader in health and wellness, personal development, and education. Having studied religious studies, philosophy, and music as an undergraduate, Angelo's approach to business development is based on historical and cultural knowledge of human behavior. He also brings a unique perspective to communication and culture as he is fluent in multiple languages and has several years of work experience in Central America, France, and India.
Angelo co-founded the French satellite campus of Saint Edward’s University in partnership with Apple Europe. There he developed and managed high-tech language learning and creative training programs. Apple then asked Angelo to relocate to India to become the lead mentor trainer for creative software for South Asia. In addition to his work with Apple, Angelo led the international department of a top-20 business school in India and successfully negotiated international dual-degree programs in multiple languages.
Upon returning to the United States, Angelo founded the US branch of a Swedish software development firm, developed a creative incubator for artists, and led a multi-million dollar behavioral healthcare company. Through his work in the behavioral health industry, Angelo refined his leadership approach to incorporate awareness of group dynamics, distinct personalities motivational differences, and mindfulness.
As the co-founder and COO of Kion, Angelo is responsible for turning the vision of Kion into a reality. He sets short-term and long-term strategy, develops strategic business relationships, guides company culture, and manages the leadership team to meet established goals and metrics.
In addition to his success in business, Angelo has a rich history as a musician and yogi. He was a professional beatboxer, rapper, and drummer in his youth – even being featured on national promotions with Kinkos. He now composes and performs original music, singing and playing all the instruments himself. He has also made numerous trips to India for yoga, was certified as a teacher at 21 and continues to embrace the yogic philosophy in his daily life. Angelo naturally brings these artistic and spiritual influences to his leadership style and approach to business as an eclectic and multi-faceted leader.
During our discussion, you'll discover:
-The story of Angelo's life…11:20
- Hippy parents, owned a natural foods store in Wimberley, TX
- His dad collaborated with Whole Foods in its early days in Austin
- No doctors, vaccinations; all natural treatments
- Angelo and Ben were polar opposites in their diets as kids
- Minimalist approach to food and supplements
- Got into lots of trouble in high school
- Awful LSD experience at age 16
- Got some gigs as a musician/beatboxer
- Attended St. Edwards University
- Centering prayer
- Religious studies major (although raised non-religious)
- Service projects to India, Central America
- Developed intense interest in humans, human interaction with one another
-How Angelo meeting his wife is a case study in the power of visualization…28:45
- Doing an internship in France; had met her a few months prior
- Wrote a song that clearly described “the perfect wife” while living in France
- Performed the song for the first time after returning to the U.S.; she was there listening
- Began dating shortly after and eventually married
- Book: Creative Visualization
-How Angelo got involved with Ben and eventually co-founded Kion…36:20
- Moved to Boulder, CO to start a family in 2012
- Heard of Ben in 2016; Ben has a large following in Boulder
- Angelo was impressed with Ben's authenticity and passion more than any business acumen
-A day in the life of Angelo Keely…47:30
- Go to sleep at the same time kids go to sleep; need alone time (in the morning)
- Go to bed early; you need less sleep, then wake up really early and be productive
- Drink two glasses of water, then an Americano
- Spiritual text (recontextualizes all of life)
- Journaling: just show up and do it
- Working out: do simple things with much intensity
- Cold/hot shower in the winter; all cold in the summer
- Show up at the office around 9 am
-Creating a winning company culture at Kion World Headquarters…59:45
- “It's a mindset about what we're doing”
- Everyone is passionate about health, supplements (enemas not so much)
- The culture must reflect the stated mission statement of Kion: Live a joyful, fulfilling and adventurous life
- Blend of empathy and radical honesty
- Every day begins with a 15-minute daily huddle; begins with 3 minutes of silence
- My interview with Todd White of Dry Farm Wines
- Monthly team adventures; yearly retreat
- “We're trying to live what we're saying”
- Building a high-quality company requires hiring the right people and build it intelligently
- Team approach:
- Everyone has a unique distinct role
- It takes time to develop chemistry
- Kion is not a fly-by-night, pie-eyed idealist company; it's profitable and being built the right way
-The biggest trends Angelo sees in the health and fitness industry…1:15:00
- Personalization of diet
- Lots of “Mickey Mouse” practices
- Education rather than instruction or “lecturing” (Kion fasting challenge w/ accompanying guide)
- Big fight on the supply chain to get an awesome product
- If everything is in stock at a supplement company, there's a red flag
-What will Angelo's life look like 5-10 years from now?…1:25:45
- Making a lot more music as of late
- One man show: music, visuals, comedic monologue
-And much more…
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources from this episode:
–Kion (use code: BGF10 to save 10% sitewide)
-Book: Creative Visualization
-The Christian Gratitude Journal
-Book: The Cloud of Unknowing: and The Book of Privy Counseling – https://amzn.to/2IUSK6Q
-Book: New Seeds of Contemplation – https://amzn.to/2Vl1kCr
-Book: Open Mind, Open Heart 20th Anniversary Edition – https://amzn.to/2GF2sZj
-Book: Dark Night of the Soul – https://amzn.to/2Dw7TI8
-Book: The Book of the Elders: Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Systematic Collection (Cistercian Studies) – https://amzn.to/2UVYtQI
-Book: The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 4th Edition – https://amzn.to/2DyQbnd
-Book: Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality – https://amzn.to/2XJ11iq
-Book: Emotional Communication
–My interview with Todd White of Dry Farm Wines
-KionU Coach Certification Program
–BenGreenfieldTri.BlogSpot.com (Ben's original blog)
–Ben's upcoming new book at Boundlessbook.com
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I loved that you spoke more to the quality standards of Kion supplements and the company culture. It makes me even more interested in trying your supplements. I’m very inspired to see a workplace that relates to people as humans that want healthy relationships, to be good people, and just enjoy life—funny how that’s kind of revolutionary. This is a company and culture I’d like to contribute to. I’m glad I applied to work at the Boulder office, keeping my fingers crossed!
“Creative visualization” got me through medical school board exams. It helped me calm my anxiety and focus on passing the tests. I forgot all about it until this podcast and think I will pull it out again (or repurchase a copy). It may be time to re-visualize something in my life. Thanks.
Worth the price of admission just to get his ideas on his binders of journals. Brilliant. I’ve been wanting to tweak my journaling to make them work for me better…. will try his method!
Kion decaf ???
Hopefully someday ….
We hear you ;)
I’ll say the same thing to both of you – you found the right guy. Authenticity is what it is all about, my friends. Congratulations and best of luck!