EP 22: Justin Brown
June 15, 2020
Justin Brown is the founder of Rhino Skin Solutions, a company that provides high-performance skincare products for rock climbers. We talked about best practices for skincare, tips for dialing skin for different rock types, how to grow a business while keeping things simple, and the connection between greatness and insanity. You can learn more about Justin at https://www.rhinoskinsolutions.com
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Google Podcasts
Patreon:
Follow-Ups:
thenuggetclimbing.com/follow-ups
Podcasts:
Power Company EP 29: Skin Care With Rhino Skin Solutions
Training Beta EP 81: Skin Care For Climbers With Justin Brown
Rhino Resources:
Shauna Cauxy’s skincare routine (and how to use Spit)
Rhino ‘Earth Grown Ingredients’ video
Products:
OXY Pads (the best cleaner for climbing shoe rubber…?)
Routes Mentioned:
‘Badman’ 5.14a, Smith Rock, OR
‘Oxygen’ 5.13b, Smith Rock, OR
‘Lucky Pigeon’ 5.13c, Smith Rock, OR
‘Mama Docus’ 5.13c, Smith Rock, OR
‘Aggro Monkey’ 5.13b, Smith Rock, OR
‘To Bolt Or Not To Be’ 5.14a, Smith Rock, OR
‘Transworld Depravity’ 5.14a, Red River Gorge, KY
‘When Legends Die’ 5.13a, Hueco Tanks, TX
‘Grand Illusion’ 5.13b/c, Lake Tahoe, CA
‘Wallstreet’ 5.14b, Frankenjura, Germany (hardest rock climb in the world in 1989..?)
Justin’s Links:
Nuggets:
2:23 – The COVID pivot, hand sanitizer, and the restaurant hustle
5:48 – Whole Foods, the Rhino growth trajectory, and growing to make a better product
9:50 – How to fix product that has separated
11:30 – Hand Sanitizer for greasy hands and dirty climbers
13:52 – Best practices for healing dry skin
17:24 – Dry/Performance plus Spit for dry and pliable skin, removing sweating as a factor, and different skin for different rock types
19:32 – How to use Rhino Spit
20:39 – Justin’s skincare routine leading up to a climbing trip
24:02 – Combining using Performance and Repair, and best practice for antiperspirant use
26:28 – Training your brain to sweat less and taking a break from using products once a month
30:35 – Tegaderm and Hypafix for splits and gobies
34:34 – Better climbing tapes
36:48 – Filing old shoe rubber, shoe cleaning products, and OXY Pads
41:48 – The early days of Rhino, and why Justin
46:21 – A simple business model and growing organically
49:08 – Growing vs. profitability, putting systems in place, not wanting cogs, and the label machine
54:51 – Work-life balance, getting an employee, and freeing up time
58:40 – Getting hurt climbing, starting MMA, getting in the best shape of his life, and the heart monitor story
1:03:58 – Training for MMA and carryover to rock climbing
1:06:21 – Justin’s standing in jiu-jitsu and converting belt rankings to the Yosemite Decimal System
1:08:05 – Mixing MMA and climbing, a pesky wrist injury, and climbing because it’s fun
1:10:56 – Greatness and insanity, and different limiters on crazy
1:12:27 – Steven’s thoughts on limiters, how limiters shift, and waking up early to hangboard
1:14:38 – Exceeding climbing goals, the gratification of improving at something new, and the myth of discipline
1:17:06 – How each route at Smith leads to the next, and progressing through the 5.13s
1:21:12 – Justin’s approach to climbing ‘Badman’ (his first 5.14), and dealing with shoulder impingement
1:25:25 – Carryover from jiu-jitsu to rock climbing
1:28:49 – Carryover from rock climbing to jiu-jitsu, projecting sequences, and foot matches
1:32:18 – Climbing 5.14 again, goal routes, and climbing the hardest route from the year you were born
1:35:33 – Justin’s (secret) Shuteye Ridge trip
1:37:29 – Gratitude for family and his sister’s illness
1:40:48 – My experience with van life during COVID-19, being in stasis, why Justin craves going out to eat, and restaurant energy
1:46:14 – Rye sourdough mango pancakes
1:47:02 – High-4 (Justin’s new company for pet care)
1:50:20 – New Rhino products (coming soon)
1:52:23 – Where to connect with Rhino for skincare questions
1:53:10 – One last story