Health, Rich and Happy - Jacopo Iasiello on Meditation, Morning Routines and Real Estate Freedom

Why Jacopo Iasiello builds his energy first, and lets everything else compound from there

TL;DR

• Jacopo believes health comes first. Without a healthy mind, heart and body, success won't make you happy.
• His MPBE method stands for meditation, prayer, biohacking and exercise, and it shapes the first couple of hours of every day.
• If you only have time for one thing, he'd choose meditation.
• He sees real estate and cash flow as a path to choosing where and how you live.

Introduction

Jacopo Iasiello grew up in Naples, where he says young people had three options: go down the wrong path, become a professional soccer player, or become the best version of yourself. He chose soccer and left home at 14 to play in different cities around Italy. Sport built his mindset from a young age.

Then a big injury changed the direction of his life. He describes it as one of the darkest times he's been through. From there, he became an entrepreneur. He started in property auctions in Italy at 22, built a chain of jewellery stores, then moved to Florida, where he now invests in real estate. Along the way, he wrote a book called Healthy, Rich and Happy.

In this episode, we talked about where to start if you want all three, why your why matters, his full morning routine, and his views on real estate and living a life you choose. Jacopo's real estate points come from his experience in the US market. Treat them as one person's perspective, not financial advice.

Lesson 1: Build your temple first

Insight: When I asked Jacopo where people should start, he didn't hesitate: health. If your mind, heart and body aren't in a good place, he asks, how will you get anywhere in this world? He calls it building your temple, and he works on it every day through exercise, meditation and reading.

He also made the point that being healthy, rich and happy isn't a destination. It's a continuous process. Once you achieve something, you need to keep working to maintain it. Life only makes sense, he says, if you grow every day.

Action: Pick one thing you'll do for your body or mind every morning this week, such as a walk, 10 minutes of reading or a short meditation.

Outcome: You create a foundation that makes everything else easier.

Lesson 2: Choose your routines, then take responsibility for them

Insight: Jacopo was blunt about this. You can choose a good routine or a bad one. If you choose the bad one, he says, don't complain about life being unfair, because you're responsible for what's happening. Bad routines create more bad situations, until you end up in a life you don't want to live.

Life will always have ups and downs. For Jacopo, his routines are what pull him back up. He's had two major lows: the injury that ended his soccer career, and moving from Europe to the United States. His morning practice is the anchor he relies on.

Action: Write down your current morning routine honestly. Mark each part as helping you or holding you back.

Outcome: You can see what to keep and what to change.

Lesson 3: Find the real why

Insight: As a PT, I asked Jacopo how to help people move from just getting by to creating the life they want. His answer was to dig into the why. If someone doesn't know why they want to get fitter or healthier, you'll be pushing them until they get a result, and then they'll go back to old habits.

His example was simple. Someone says they want to look good. Why? Because they want another 20 years with their family, full of energy. That's the reason that changes things. Once you understand someone's why, you understand their power, and you can use it to motivate them.

On whether to train the body or the mind first, Jacopo said both work together. For someone who hasn't exercised in years, start by understanding why they're doing it, then build in movement. After a week or two, they start to feel better, and the mind and body begin supporting each other.

Action: Ask yourself why you want your current health goal. Then ask why again, at least three times, until you reach something that really matters to you.

Outcome: You have a reason that keeps you going after the novelty wears off.

Lesson 4: The MPBE method

Insight: Jacopo's method has four parts: meditation, prayer, biohacking and exercise. Here's how his morning looks:

• 4:30 to 5am: He wakes up and starts with meditation. He practises Transcendental Meditation and also uses Wim Hof breathing.
• Journalling: He spends about 10 minutes answering a few powerful questions: what he's grateful for, what gives him joy and what he's passionate about.
• A message to his network: He writes an encouraging message to share with people who've helped him or whom he wants to support.
• Prayer: About 10 minutes, using an app to listen to prayers.
• Cold shower and gym: Then around an hour and 15 to 20 minutes of training.
• Creative time: From around 7am until about 8:30, he uses the morning for creative work, because that's when his mind works best.

He pointed out that successful people he knows, whatever their religion, tend to connect with something bigger than themselves in some way. You don't need to adopt his whole routine. What stands out is that he starts the day by filling his own cup.

Action: Build a short version of this. Try five minutes of breathing or meditation, three journalling questions and some movement before you check your phone.

Outcome: You start the day with energy rather than reacting to everyone else.

Lesson 5: Train for your body, not someone else's

Insight: Jacopo trains four days a week. He loves kickboxing and uses short rounds of it to get a sweat up, but most of his training is strength work in the gym. He works with a personal trainer so his program suits his age and his body, because not every exercise is right for everyone.

He changes his routine every month so his body gets different stimulus, and he sets clear goals. At the time we recorded, he was working towards a specific body fat target through training and diet.

His biohacking includes cold plunges, a BrainTap device that uses light and sound to help him relax, and personalised supplements. He also gives a lot of credit to his fiancée, who cooks healthy meals he enjoys. He keeps junk food out until Sunday, his cheat day, when Nutella makes an appearance.

Action: If you're training without a plan, spend 10 minutes writing one clear goal and the three training days that will move you towards it.

Outcome: Your training has direction, and you can see when it's time to change things up.

Lesson 6: Meditation is his one non-negotiable

Insight: I asked Jacopo that if someone was busy and could only do one thing in their morning, what would it be? He said meditation. He describes himself as having a hyperactive mind. He's found two ways to calm it: exercise and meditation. If he had to choose one, it would be Transcendental Meditation, which he says changed his life.

It was also his answer to my final question about the one thing he'd get everyone to do. He believes that if everyone meditated, it would bring more love, energy and power to the world. He's not the first guest to give that answer.

Action: Set a timer for five minutes tomorrow morning. Sit, close your eyes and come back to your breath every time your mind wanders.

Outcome: You learn what calm feels like, even if your mind is busy.

Lesson 7: Use your energy to create freedom

Insight: Once you've created that energy, what do you do with it? For Jacopo, the answer has been real estate. He fell in love with it after his first deal, and he says it's one of the few markets that can work in good times, flat times and downturns. When the market is moving quickly, people flip properties. When it's flat, he focuses on cash flow. When it's down, he sees it as the time to buy.

When I asked about people who say the opportunity has passed, he disagreed. He believes now is the time, as long as you buy carefully and know your exit strategy. For people with no experience, he suggested learning the process by finding deals for investors, knocking on doors and making calls.

He also talked about arbitrage: earning in one market and living in another where your money goes further. He's seen people do this to improve their quality of life on less money. For him, cash flow matters because it gives you the freedom to decide where you live.

Action: Write down what a comfortable month actually costs you. Knowing your number is the first step in any plan for financial freedom, however you choose to build it.

Outcome: Your money goals become specific and realistic.

Quick wins

• Wake up 15 minutes earlier tomorrow and use it for yourself.
• Write down what you're grateful for, what gives you joy and what you're passionate about.
• Send one encouraging message to someone in your network.
• Ask yourself why your health goal matters, three times.
• Try five minutes of meditation before you check your phone.

Closing insight

What I took from Jacopo is that everything flows from your inner state. Getting fit, building wealth or feeling happy all become easier when you've started the day with energy and clarity. He's built his life around a morning practice that keeps him grounded through the highs and lows, and he has no plans to stop. As he says, he'll keep working and creating until the last day of his life, because that's what gives him energy.

Jacopo told me he's donating the money from his book to an association he already supports in Miami, where he also offers some of his properties at lower rent.

Connect with Jacopo

Visit Healthy, Rich and Happy, or find Jacopo on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. His book, Healthy, Rich and Happy, is available on Amazon.

Listen to the full episode

The full conversation is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, or press play at the top of this page.

Related episodes: Healthy, Wealthy and Living Longer and How to Awaken Your True Self Through Breathwork and Authenticity