Meet Ben Friend

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ben Friend a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

BEN, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I’ve always been an optimistic person, it’s in my God given nature. I think being raised in a very beautiful and calm place like Hawaii by parents that had very supportive, structured and outgoing style of parenting set me up to always see the glass half full.

Life is short, and I believe i the power of prayer – some may call it the power of manifestation – whichever theory resonates with you is irrelevant. What is relevant is staying optimistic, catching yourself when in a negative headspace etc is key to not only harnessing your own optimism but training yourself to continuously be an optimistic human.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

MUSIC AND MYSPACE:

THE NAME THAT STARTED IT ALL. MY ORIGINAL MYSPACE MUSIC PERSONA “FAKEBESTFRIEND” WENT VIRAL ONLINE WHEN I WAS 15 YEARS OLD (I AM NOW IN MY 30’S).

I’VE BEEN ABLE TO UTILIZE THIS ORIGINAL BASE OF FOLLOWERS AND PIVOT MY BRAND SEVERAL TIMES TO OFFER MORE THAN JUST MUSIC CONTENT TO MY FRIENDS.

I CALL ANY OF MY FOLLOWERS, SUBCSRIBERS OR FANS, FRIENDS OUT OF RESPECT FOR THEM AS PEOPLE. BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUPPORTED ME AS AN ARTIST AND A PERSON SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER, NO OTHER LABEL SEEMS MORE APPROPRIATE.

MY HOPE IS WHEN SOMEONE FOLLOWS ME, A NEW REAL FRIEND WILL BE THEIR FAVORITE NOTIFICATION.

AFTER MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT, I PLAN TO OFFER NEW MUSIC AND A CURATED VISION OF MY CURRENT STATE AS A MUSIC ARTIST AND OVERAL CREATIVE.

BEN FRIEND BODY:

THE COLD HARD TRUTH IS: THERE IS NO SECRET TO GETTING THE BODY YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED. IT TAKES HARD WORK, DETERMINATION AND THE GUIDANCE OF A FRIEND. MY EXPERIENCE AS A FORMER AGMA PROFESSIONAL BALLET DANCER WILL UPGRADE YOUR FITNESS HABITS UNLIKE ANYTHING YOU’VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.

I’VE TRAINED CELEBRITIES, MODELS, BUSINESS EXECUTIVES, MOMS, DADS, YOUTH – I’VE TRAINED THEM ALL. I FIND JOY NOT ONLY IN THE ART OF TEACHING TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS, BUT IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF A PERSON AS A WHOLE THAT BLOSSOMS WHEN THEY REACH THEIR GOALS AND BUILD THE SELF CONFIDENCE THEY NEED TO REACH THAT NEXT MILESTONE IN LIFE.

I AM LAUNCHING ONLINE FITNESS CONTENT FOR FREE WITH A PAID SUBSCRIPTION PORTION FOR MORE DETAILED AND ADVANCED TRAINING GUIDES AND WORKOUTS. THE POINT OF ME OFFERING FREE OPTIONS TO MY FRIENDS ONLINE.

I AM LOCATED IN LOS ANGELES AND OFFER PERSONAL 1:1 PRIVATE TRAINING SESSIONS BOTH VIRTUALLY AND IN-PERSON. I WILL OCCASIONALLY DO BEACH BOOTCAMPS AS WELL. ANYONE INTERESTED IN TRAINING WITH ME CAN APPLY ONLINE FOR MY COACHING AT WWW.BENFRIENDBODY.COM TODAY.

BEN FRIEND LOS ANGELES: THE FASHION BRAND:

MY NAMESAKE PERSONAL BRAND FOCUSES ON FASHION AND LIFESTYLE OFFERINGS CATERED TO THE FANS THAT HAVE GROWN UP WITH ME FROM MY MYSPACE ERA. AN ODE TO A MORE MATURED VISION OF WHAT THE FRIENDS THAT HELPED BUILD HIS SUCCESS WANT AND DESERVE. I OFFER UNISEX CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES ALL MADE IN THE UNITED STATES.

DESIGN WORK AND CONSULTING:
MY ARTWORK, FASHION AND PRODUCT DESIGNS HAVE SOLD AROUND THE WORLD FOR THE LAST 7 YEARS UNDER MY NAMESAKE BRAND AND AS PRIVATE LABEL OPTIONS FOR LEADING BRANDS WITHIN THE UPMARKET AND LUXURY FITNESS, HOSPITALITY AND FASHION CATEGORIES.

MY INFLUENCE AND DELIVERABLES HAVE BEEN FEATURED AND MENTIONED IN SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS, ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, ONLINE AND IN RETAIL STORES ACROSS THE GLOBE. MANY BRANDS OR PUBLIC FIGURES HAVE HIRED ME TO CONSULT ON EVERYTHING FROM BRANDING GUIDELINES, MARKETING STYLES AND MESSAGING, CONCEPTUAL AND TECHNICAL DESIGN TO SOURCING AND BUILDING PRODUCTIVE, STRONG TEAMS THAT HELP THE BRANDS CREATIVE AND FINANCIAL GOALS.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

FIRST AND FOREMOST MY PARENTS WERE VERY SUPPORTIVE AND NURTURING TO ALL MY CREATIVE INTERESTS AND ABILITIES. THIS ALLOWED ME TO FLOURISH AT A YOUNG AGE.

I STARTED TAKING BALLET LESSONS AT 6, HAD TO STOP FOR A YEAR BECAUSE I WAS SO HYPER AND UNFOCUSED SO I STARTED AGAIN AT AGE 7. I WENT ON TO BECOME PROFESSIONAL AT 15 WITH MY FIRST JOB IN A LOCAL MODERN, HAWAIIAN DANCE COMPANY BACK HOME CALLED TAU DANCE THEATER. FROM THERE I WAS ABLE TO DANCE AND TRAIN WITH MANY LEADING SCHOOLS AND COMPANIES INLUDING: SFBALLET/SCHOOL, NYCBALLET/SCHOOL, CINCINNATI BALLET, THE SUZANNE FARRELL BALLET, BALLET HAWAII, MARIN DANCE THEATER AND DIAMOND HEAD THEATER.

SECOND, RESILIENCE. I HAD TO LEARN AT A VERY YOUNG AGE TO BE RESILIENT TO CRITICISM AND FAILURES. IN BALLET THE TRAINING IS SO DIFFICULT AND COMPLEX THAT IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PERFECT, EVER. THIS IS THAT CRAZY SECRET I LIKE TO SHARE: YOU WILL NEVER BE DONE LEARNING, EVER. SO STAY RESILIENT TO FAILURE AND CRITICISM.

RESILIENCE CAN MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. I AM SPECIFICALLY REFERRING TO STAYING ON YOUR FOCUSED PATH, NOT LETTING LAZINESS OR SELF-DOUBT GET THE BEST OF YOU AND IF YOU ARE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO: DO NOT STOP. KEEP GOING.

THIRD, I WOULD SAY MAKE SURE TO STAY HUMBLE YET STRONG. KNOW WHEN TO TAKE A PASSIVE ROLE PROFESSIONALLY IF THAT PASSIVE STRATEGY WILL LEAD INTO THE NEXT STEP YOU NEED TO TAKE TO REACH YOUR GOAL. MAYBE THAT MEANS WORKING UNDER PEOPLE YOU DO NOT LIKE. MAYBE IT MEANS TEMPORARILY DOING A JOB THAT ISN’T 100% IDEAL. THE REASON THIS IS IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE WHEN YOU WANT TO LEAD ONE DAY, HAVING THESE UNCOMFORTABLE EXPERIENCES WILL HUMBLE YOU – THEY CAN TEACH YOU WHAT NOT TO DO TO SOMEONE ELSE FOR EXAMPLE. ALWAYS WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

I READ “Steps in Time: An Autobiography BY FRED ASTAIRE”. IT INSPIRED ME SO MUCH WITH MY DANCE ENDEAVORS AND THERE ARE MANY LESSONS IN THAT BOOK THAT ANYONE WHO HAS A DREAM CAN LEARN FROM.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://WWW.ONLYBENFRIEND.COM
• Instagram: FAKEBESTFRIEND
• Facebook: REALBENFRIEND
• Twitter: FAKEBESTFRIEND
• Youtube: FAKEBESTFRIEND
• Soundcloud: FAKEBESTFRIEND

Image Credits

BEN FRIEND
JORDAN SERVICE
PATRICK GREENHALGH