By Claudienne Peterson
Rolando Brison is a name you see quite often in the news and in social media as he’s held quite a few important positions on the island, some of which have not been received well. He seems to be the man everyone loves to hate. But why? I decided to sit with Rolando and pick apart this mystery. With his new position as Director of Tourism before him, he shares how he’s been preparing himself for the new task ahead.
How long have you been into health and why?
It’s only for the last five years that I’ve been into health. Actually it was the year I became the Marketing Director of Carnival. It was a very intense period in terms of the stress and work coupled with eating a lot of food – whatever I could grab – and all the partying. It was the unhealthiest three months of my life.
I was 28 years old at the time and this kind of lifestyle was actually beginning to hurt me. I was feeling sick and sluggish. Sports had always been a big part of my life, but I noticed my performance in sports was starting to decline rapidly. That’s when I decided I had to take care of myself a little bit. (Showing me his bottle of Master Cleanse mixture) I decided to look into something and I stumbled upon Master Cleanse.
Why did you decide on the Master Cleanse?
I wanted something that was intense. I’m the type of person who doesn’t want to be vegan for the rest of my life, but if something can be done to straighten me up; even though it’s hard, I’ll do it.
How long have you been doing it?
It’s my fifth year doing it. I pick a time of year when there’s supposed to be a new start, like now with my new job – I’m going to be the Director of Tourism for the island – so now is the right time for the cleanse. It’s a very mental cleanse, not some regular diet. It’s a battle against your mind to tell yourself, “I’m good; because as long as I drink this, I’m not going to die.” My mentality is: “Rolando, you have to focus, still do your job.” Of course I still need to go out for business lunches; so I walk with the bottle and drink club soda at restaurants.
That takes a lot of discipline, doesn’t it?!
It’s a strong disciplinary battle in my mind, and when I come out of it, the best thing is to get to reset everything. I used to drink too much Coca Cola, which isn’t even a craving anymore. I also used to eat too much meat, so I toned down on the meat; I tone down on alcohol as well. So there’s a purging of unhealthy things from my life.
How does that affect your new job?
Going into a new career, I feel the same way. I feel like I’m kind of cleansing everything from the past and I’m going into a fresh new career so I’m doing the Master Cleanse now. It’s my biggest test of strength. I’m on day four, so I have six more days to go; halfway is always the hardest – and smelling all this food! It’s not about vanity either; I just want to conquer this thing up here in my mind.
You’ve been involved in quite a few sports right?
I’ve done Tae Kwon Do and when I went to Holland, I continued with basketball. Being on a Division 2 team, I played more basketball. That was fun. What I like most about playing basketball up there were the street courts like Museum Plein and De Streek basketball courts in Den Haag, and Rotterdam Centraal basketball court. When you go to these places, you meet so many different people. I’ll admit I’ve never been a gym kind of guy; it’s more about stamina and breathing well. I focus on the social aspect of fitness.
What else would you like to share in terms of fitness?
Three years ago, I met Cary Tagawa, who’s been in Japanese movies. He played Shang Tsung in Mortal Combat. He was on the island, as we were doing a project together, and has this breathing technique that’s kind of weird, but it actually works.
Is it something like meditation?
It’s a meditation breathing technique, the different levels of breathing: deep, slow, enhanced – all those different movements of the lungs – it just kind of opens your mind. I’m just sitting down, focusing and I’m doing different breathing techniques to exercise my lungs and it feels good.
So are you really into mental health as well?!
You have to create those resets in life. You can’t only keep going and working hard. I don’t believe in that. I believe in working smart and clearing your mind. In my opinion, mental health is probably the part that people on St. Maarten are least concerned with. People are so concerned with looks – muscles got to be big, the legs tight, the teeth and hair just right – but mental health is so important.
I enjoy work. I enjoy life. I get through controversies because I take such strong care of my mind, and these resets that I do for myself create that shield. No matter what I go through in life – criticisms, breakups, even death – there’s so much I’m able to cope with because I’ve created such a strong shield. I really look at the brain as a muscle; you’ve got to give it repetitions for it to build; it can grow; it can shrink if you don’t take care of it; it can get messed up if you eat badly.
With your busy life over the years, how do you find time for fitness and golf?
I try to play golf regularly because golf ties into the business side of things. For the past year and a half, I’ve been trying to stay sharp in terms of golf. I don’t get to play basketball as often as I used to, and so I go to the gym at least twice a week. Again I turn to my breathing techniques and try not to eat out that much. I love to cook and find time to do so often.
I control what I eat; I control my portions; I try to stay active. Staying active to me means the small things you do. For example, when I’m at the office in town and I have to move around, rather than go through traffic, I just walk. It saves me parking as well. My dad walks a lot, and he cooks a lot; he’s a big believer in ginger, nutmeg, spices – stuff that is abundant in this region – and I’ve learned a lot from him health-wise.
How do you balance work and fitness?
Knowing my body and knowing when it’s getting unfit, I try to keep the balance. If I’ve had too much junk, I start eating more salad and stay away from junk, or I get more active. With my position right now, the reality of going to the gym is not the way for me to stay active. The gym just tires me out and I have work the next morning; but there are other ways to stay healthy. I have my breathing techniques and I take care of my mind. Staying active up here (points to his head) is also very important; this ties into my love for video games!
Do you use video games to keep your mind active?
Video games are an exercise for the mind; they really are. Studies have shown that children who play video games are mentally sharper. But just like anything, you have to control it – too much of anything is bad. Playing a nice video game for an hour or two can be very rewarding if it has problem-solving and platform changes to move to. My games are all about exercising the mind. I know there’s a lot of criticism about it, but I’m a firm believer in that.
What’s your take on TV?
I’ve not owned or subscribed to Cable TV or satellite in years as I’m living on my own and prefer to keep things interactive, instead of just sit in front a television and absorb. With video games, I’m giving and getting.
Has your golfing ever gotten serious?
No, definitely not; but there’s a certain level of golf that you need to have, especially as an entrepreneur. Golf is also very mental. Who is your opponent? Your opponent really is yourself, and nobody out there can distract you unless you let them. It’s just you, the club, the ball and the course! It’s definitely a constant mental battle!
How big a part of your life are these breathing techniques?
I really like my mind to be sharp; this is what feels good and this is what makes me happy. Living in St. Maarten can be such a difficult place sometimes having to deal with sitting in traffic, GEBE power outage, etc., etc., but my mind is always ready.
What health experts do you look up to?
There’s this guru in India, Krishna Murti, who has a series of lectures on YouTube called the “Radical Revolution of Mind.” It was a life-changing moment watching that documentary. It sounds a bit cliché to say, “When you put your mind to it, you can do it;” but it’s true. Think about it; the opposite is surely true – if you don’t see it in your mind then it doesn’t exist.
Basically there are steps to a revolution in your mind, where you create the idea and then you start to create the steps to achieve them. I decided that I had to do the course to create the things I wanted in life. The revolution of the mind comes at a cost. You can’t just say you want to be rich one day. To get what you want, you have to be prepared to go through a lot, to be broke and to get dragged through the mud.
What’s a favourite quote of yours?
“The mind controls the body; don’t ever let it be otherwise.”
Some extra information:
Rolando is the owner of R&B Island Mauby, which came about through his entrepreneurial spirit. Made according to Rolando’s father’s recipes, the mauby is a family tradition. There’s a sugar-free version for diabetics as well! This successful business has been going strong for 21 years. There are no double blind scientific studies on mauby yet, but it has been known throughout generations to have numerous health benefits for everything from kidney stones to morning sickness. Most will agree this is due to all the natural ingredients, such as ginger, 12 different spices and of course the mauby bark!
