The Nick Burns Show · Episode #010

6 Kids, 26-Year Business, Constant Travel — How Matt Finally Fixed His Health

Name: 6 Kids, 26-Year Business, Constant Travel — How Matt Finally Fixed His Health
Uploaded: 2026-09-14T06:59:32-07:00
Duration: 21 min 49 s

With Matt Bachtel, owner of a 26-year excavating company and father of six · September 14, 2026 · 22 min

Watch the full episode on The Nick Burns Show · Watch on YouTube

Matt Bachtel runs a 26-year-old excavating company in Massillon, Ohio, has six kids and is on the road more weeks than he's home. He could outwork almost anyone on a job site, but when he moved from the field to the office, the discipline disappeared from his plate and his workouts. Twice he lost 30 pounds. Twice it came back.

Matt explains what finally stuck: a 4:45 to 6:45 AM window that is non-negotiable, moving every meeting an hour later so the workout never loses, body-weight Tabatas in hotel rooms, and a nine-day trip in the middle of nowhere where he still trained.

Down 22 pounds and counting, he talks about leading his company with more confidence, changing what the whole friend group eats at tailgates, and why every leader needs someone to report to.

Chapters

0:00 Cold open
0:26 Meet Matt: excavating company, six kids, 26 years in business
2:17 A bad relationship with food (and why it got worse with every kid)
4:03 Nick's own story: 270 lbs, stress eating and Oreos
5:31 From the field to the office chair
6:34 Travel, peer groups and catered lunches: where the plan breaks
7:18 Tabatas and body-weight work that fit a road schedule
8:03 The non-negotiable: 4:45 to 6:45 AM, and moving every meeting
9:43 Training on the road: a nine-day trip in the middle of nowhere
11:12 How it changed the way he leads
12:46 Results: down 22 lbs, and why the 30 came back twice
14:08 Sustainable vs. quick fix: recomposition when you travel
15:20 Tailgates and pool parties: shifting the whole friend group
17:35 The weigh-in that jumped 2.5 lbs (water, sodium, inflammation)
18:37 Advice for anyone outside looking in: just get started
20:17 Why leaders need someone to report to
21:16 "If I can do it, anybody can do it"

Topics: Guest Stories, Weight Loss, Systems, Training

More episodes of The Nick Burns Show

Episode #011: Why High Performers Go All In for 6 Weeks, Then Quit for 4 Months
Solo with Nick Burns · September 25, 2026 · 25 min
The all-or-nothing wiring that built your career is wrecking your health, and the fix comes from the way software teams work.
Episode #009: 20 Advil a Day for 16 Years. Gone in Five Weeks.
With Gareth Young, SVP of US Operations at EnerCorp · July 28, 2026 · 40 min
Four Advil, five times a day, for sixteen years. Then a stem cell trip to Tijuana, and the day he could finally look up at the ceiling.
Episode #008: How a 42-Year-Old Veteran Lost 40 lbs Without Running
With Will Rollins, Marine veteran, former detective and owner of Right Wing Precision · July 14, 2026 · 39 min
His wife swears he hit 220. He'll tell you it was 219.8, and he's almost 40 pounds down without running a step.
Episode #007: What Energy Executives Get Wrong About Staying In Shape After 40
Solo with Nick Burns · June 30, 2026 · 20 min
Your kids are watching everything you do, and the 'too old to get in shape' excuse doesn't survive the math.
Episode #006: What Energy Leaders Get Wrong About Discipline and Motivation
With Nick Williams, president of Viking Power Technologies · June 16, 2026 · 44 min
Motivation is a lie: two operators on opposite sides of the desk agree that if you're waiting to feel motivated, you've already lost.
Episode #005: How I Eat 4,000 Calories a Day at 10% Body Fat
Solo with Nick Burns · June 2, 2026 · 31 min
Nick eats up to 4,000 calories a day at 10 percent body fat, after seven years of eating less, training more and getting nowhere.
Episode #004: How an Energy Exec Lost 24 lbs in 3 Months Eating MORE Food
With Andrew Keck, energy-industry leader and PetroFit client · May 26, 2026 · 43 min
Already training almost every day and still stuck, Andrew fixed the one thing he'd ignored and dropped 24 pounds eating more than ever.
Episode #003: Why Energy Executives & CEOs Still Struggle with Imposter Syndrome and How To Combat It
With JP Warren, founder of Crew Club, 21 years in oil and gas · May 19, 2026 · 46 min
Ten CEOs at the table, eight of them fighting imposter syndrome. JP Warren is one of them, and so is Nick.
Episode #002: What Energy Executives Get Wrong About Their Bodies
With Massiel Diaz, oil and gas podcaster and former oilfield data scientist · May 12, 2026 · 1 h 4 min
Twelve years of under-eating and over-training, a candid talk about testosterone, and the wake-up call leaders need before 40.
Episode #001: The Nick Burns Story: Systems, Discipline & Building PetroFit
Solo with Nick Burns · May 4, 2026 · 42 min
From the 270-pound kid who failed his Army PT test three times to the founder who has coached 2,800 people: this is where it all starts.

Watch and listen to The Nick Burns Show on YouTube · Spotify · Apple Podcasts · RSS feed · Instagram · Nick Burns on LinkedIn.