From Losing Everything to Building Redcon1: The Inspiring Story of Aaron Singerman
5/25/20261 hr 1 min
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What does real determination actually cost?
Aaron Singerman has a story that most people only know one chapter of. He grew up in New Orleans, survived Hurricane Katrina, became an intravenous heroin and cocaine addict, lost people he loved to violence and overdose, and found his way out through fitness and bodybuilding.
He broke into the supplement industry with nothing but hustle — became editor-in-chief at RxMuscle, co-founded Blackstone Labs at a kitchen table, and then left to launch REDCON1 in 2016. Within four years, REDCON1 went from 5 employees to 150+, expanded to 80+ countries, and landed on shelves at Walmart, GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Dick's Sporting Goods, and military base exchanges worldwide.
Then came the federal indictment. A guilty plea. Fifty-four months sentenced. Eleven months served at FPC Pensacola. He wrote his memoir from a prison cell, came home to his three sons, walked back into REDCON1, and never stopped building.
In this episode, Shawn French sits down with Aaron for one of the most raw and honest conversations The Determined Society has ever had. This isn't a highlight reel. It's the version of determination that doesn't look good on social media — the kind that costs you everything before it gives you anything back.
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WHAT WE COVER
→ Growing up in New Orleans and early lessons from his father's clothing store
→ Hurricane Katrina — what forced displacement and starting over really feels like
→ Falling into intravenous heroin and cocaine addiction and the losses that followed
→ How bodybuilding and fitness became the lifeline that changed everything
→ Breaking into bodybuilding media at RxMuscle under Dave Palumbo
→ Co-founding Blackstone Labs and where things went wrong
→ Launching REDCON1 — and the military mission behind the name
→ Building a global supplement empire from scratch, twice
→ The federal indictment, guilty plea, and what prison actually taught him
→ Writing his memoir behind bars and the mindset that kept him going
→ Fatherhood, legacy, and raising three boys while rebuilding everything
→ What real determination looks like when no one is watching
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CONNECT WITH AARON SINGERMAN
📖 Memoir — RedCon Rising: And Falling. And Rising Again.
🌐 Website: https://aaronsingerman.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronsingerman/
👤 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaron.singerman/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-singerman-b6a03a35
🏋️ REDCON1: https://www.redcon1.com
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CONNECT WITH SHAWN FRENCH
🔗 All links: https://ln.run/AMgIt
If you have ever been knocked down, counted out, or forced to start over — this episode is proof that rock bottom is not the end of the story.
Leave a review, share this episode with someone who needs it, and subscribe so you never miss a conversation with someone who refused to quit.
— Shawn French
The Determined Society
The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
The son of a schoolteacher and Navy veteran who built a company worth billions and walked away from it, Tom Steyer. Pledging to give away half of everything he earned to charity and fight for Californians. So when out-of-state corporations were ripping us off, Tom led the fight for Prop 39 and won, earning California billions of dollars for our schools and communities, and it doesn't cost you a nickel. And he didn't stop there. Other politicians talk, Tom Steyer gets it done. Paid for by Steyer for Governor 2026.
Speaker 20:29
Amazon Health: AI presents Painful Thoughts.
Speaker 30:34
I, um, I can't stop scratching my downtown. Mm-hmm, yeah, but I'm not itching to go downtown and tell a receptionist I'm here to talk about my downtown. [laughs] Some things you'd rather type than say out loud.
Speaker 20:49
There's no question too embarrassing for Amazon Health: AI. Chat your symptoms and get virtual care 24/7. Healthcare just got less painful.
Aaron Singerman· Guest0:58
I started injecting cocaine, then I was, I was, I fell off.
Shawn French· Host1:02
Oh, you were injecting cocaine?
Aaron Singerman· Guest1:04
Yeah, I was injecting cocaine.
Shawn French· Host1:05
Wow.
Aaron Singerman· Guest1:05
Injecting 20 to 100 times a day- Mm-hmm ... you're probably not gonna be all alive.
Shawn French· Host1:09
Aaron Singerman, the founder of Redcon1, the fastest growing supplement brand on the planet. I'm here with him now, and you are going to love this story.
Aaron Singerman· Guest1:17
One day I walk into the office and I literally get kicked out, and PJ and the other shareholders said, like, "You're out." And I took a day to be sad, and the next day I got together with that same group of people he fired and I said, "[censored] 'em. Let's go