231: Fraser Bayley

Fraser Bayley is a bodybuilder and trainer originally from NZ and now living in New Orleans, Louisiana. You can follow his adventures at @evolvingalpha on Instagram or FB.

Fraser’s story is a heroes journey if ever there was one.

From an unwell butcher who lived with a diagnosis of ADHD and then bipolar disorder, to a powerful bodybuilder who has achieved an incredible physique on a vegan diet.

However, Fraser’s transformation is way more than physical. The way he describes the dark place he was in during his teenage years, how he escaped a pattern of negative behaviour, how he identified ways to start to feel better and then simply worked on them every day, building momentum until he emerged from the chrysalis as a new man - this is a story that will show you the true gift we have as humans - the gift of being able to choose our next response and choose our next action.

That Fraser is a bodybuilder may not be something you aspire to - however, it is a physical manifestation of the focus and commitment he has to not only feeling better in his mind but also creating a new life for himself unrecognisable from his troubled past.

If you add on to that the extraordinary shift from being a butcher who did work in slaughterhouses, who worked every day cutting up animal carcasses for a supermarket meat section - to becoming the epitome of what masculinity celebrates when it comes to the “alpha” type - a fiercely competitive bodybuilder with an intimidating physique who trains and maintains that physique on a plant-based diet, that is truly astounding.

So much of the communication around health and fitness, and particularly muscle gain is all about eating meat - either the paleo diet or the keto diet - and when it comes to being a man, to expressing masculinity, one display of that we as a culture look toward is muscle.

Muscle that comes from eating animal products.

It’s touted as the only way to get that physique.

I’m here to tell you - it isn’t.

And Fraser is here to tell you too.

We caught up on Skype - so there are a few drops, but I hope you forgive the glitches and enjoy the inspiration that will come from this conversation with Fraser Bayley.

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