Today we’d like to introduce you to Oliver Goulet.
Hi Oliver, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From Rock Bottom to Building an Empire
My name is Oliver Scott Goulet, and I believe my life is proof that God can take a man who is lost, addicted, broken, and directionless—and rebuild him into someone with purpose.
I was born on July 23, 1997, and in many ways, I was a miracle child. My parents, Alice and Greg Goulet, were told the odds of having more biological children were extremely low. My mother had lost an ovary, and my father had a low sperm count. Still, they always had a vision for a big family.
Instead of giving up, they opened their hearts to adoption and foster care. Over 15 years, they helped house more than 50 children and adopted several of my siblings. Then, in January 1997, against the odds, my mother became pregnant with me.
That truth shaped how I see life: every person is a miracle, but being born a miracle does not automatically make you special. You become special through the responsibility you take with the life God gave you.
For a long time, I wasted mine.
From November 2017 to January 2019, I was addicted to hard drugs, partying, and chasing the next quick high. Cocaine, Adderall, alcohol, women, money, attention—I chased anything that helped me escape the reality I had created.
During that season, my life kept falling apart. I dropped out of Hope College. I got robbed multiple times. One of my grow facilities burned down in a fire. I was building a life around chaos and wondering why I had no peace.
On August 6, 2019, I went to the Cannabis Cup in Detroit with about $10,000 cash, planning to buy products, make deals, and resell them. I thought I was going there to hustle. Instead, Detroit humbled me. We parked on a side street, waited in line for hours, and when we came back, the car window was smashed. Four thousand dollars was gone.
That day was more than just getting robbed. It exposed where my life was heading. I was paranoid, angry, addicted, and obsessed with figuring out who had taken from me—while completely ignoring how much I had already stolen from myself.
By August 2019, I was completely lost.
One night after doing cocaine all day, I laid in bed trying to fall asleep. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I was anxious, exhausted, and empty.
Then I had a vision.
I was standing at a funeral. My family and friends were gathered around. One person stood out more than anyone else—my mother. She was crying uncontrollably, saying, “He was too young.”
Before I ever saw who was in the casket, I knew.
I was standing at my own funeral.
That was God showing me exactly where my life was headed if I didn’t change.
The next morning, I woke up and said, “Enough is enough.”
At the time, I weighed around 250 to 270 pounds. I was addicted to cocaine and Adderall. I was living for the short term with no vision, no discipline, and no relationship with God.
The next month, I started exercising and eating real food. What people don’t talk about is how brutal the withdrawals were. For the next six months, I battled paranoia and fear. But I stayed the course.
In December 2019, I visited my friend David O’Daniels in Fort Wayne. That weekend led me to meet Sierra, who introduced me to The MFCEO Project with Andy Frisella. One episode in particular planted a seed in me.
The message was simple: figuring out who you are is making a decision about who you want to become.
That changed everything.
On July 23, 2020, I started 75 Hard. On July 23, 2021, I completed the Live Hard Program. That experience destroyed the lies I had believed about myself for years.
I was not undisciplined.
I was not incapable.
I was not a victim.
I had simply been living beneath the standard God had called me to.
Over the next several years, I completed 75 Hard seven separate times. Discipline became the foundation for rebuilding my life.
That discipline changed how I led, how I worked, how I built relationships, and how I operated in business.
In 2019, during one of the darkest yet most transformative seasons of my life, we established Fresh Hope Genetics.
The name itself represented what I desperately needed at the time: fresh hope.
Fresh Hope Genetics operated in Michigan’s medical cannabis market for four years. During that time, we learned the industry from the ground level—cultivation, genetics, branding, relationships, risk, and survival. We weren’t backed by massive investors or corporate money. We were young entrepreneurs trying to build something meaningful in one of the most competitive industries in the country.
Those years sharpened us.
We built through stress.
We built through uncertainty.
We built through mistakes.
We built while learning in real time.
Then in 2023, I partnered with one of my best friends, Nestor Barrera, and together we launched SugarNest Extracts into the recreational cannabis market.
That launch marked a completely new chapter.
What started as a small operation evolved into a brand with a much bigger vision—one focused on culture, quality, loyalty, and legacy. SugarNest became more than just products on shelves. It became a reflection of who we are, what we stand for, and the empire we are building together.
We are not building a quick cash-flow business.
We are building something that lasts.
An empire rooted in brotherhood, discipline, branding, leadership, and vision.
An empire built by people who came from struggle.
An empire built by people who refused to stay average.
An empire built by men willing to take risks most people are too afraid to take.
Every setback sharpened us.
Every obstacle matured us.
Every challenge forced us to evolve.
The same mindset that helped me overcome addiction became the same mindset required to build a company at a high level:
Aggressive patience.
Extreme ownership.
Relentless execution.
Business exposed every weakness I had as a man. It forced me to improve my communication, leadership, emotional control, decision-making, and discipline.
As Fresh Hope Genetics and SugarNest Extracts grew, my purpose grew with them.
In April 2023, I joined the Arete Syndicate after wanting to apply for over a year. I had been telling myself I was not ready, not successful enough, and not worthy. But God put it on my heart to take the risk.
That decision changed my life and business.
The men and women I met through Arete challenged me to think bigger, operate better, and lead differently. They showed me what was possible when you surround yourself with people who refuse to make excuses.
Then, on June 8, 2023, we held the first Kaizen Brotherhood call with five men.
Kaizen was born from a simple belief: men need brotherhood, accountability, discipline, faith, and purpose.
What started as a small weekly Zoom call has now become a movement. Fast forward two and a half years, and we have met every Thursday at 8 p.m. without fail. We host multiple in-person events every year, including Summer Smash, and today the Kaizen Brotherhood has grown to 50 members.
The Brotherhood is built around five core values:
Discipline.
Student.
Leader.
Risk.
Freedom.
Those same values align with the five pillars I live by:
Physical.
Mental.
Spiritual.
Financial.
Relationships.
I believe every man who wants to become who God created him to be must intentionally develop all five.
I also had to confront my limiting beliefs. For years, I listened to people who did not have the life I wanted, and I let their opinions shape my future. Eventually, I learned that if someone does not have what you want, you need to be careful taking advice from them.
That is why environment matters. Your circle matters. Your faith matters. Your habits matter. Your vision matters.
On January 17, 2024, Brad Modrich invited me into the Warrior for Christ group chat. That strengthened my walk with God and reminded me that everything I was building—business, leadership, brotherhood, and legacy—needed to be rooted in faith.
Looking back now, I can clearly see God’s hand in every chapter of my story.
The addiction.
The robbery.
The fire.
The heartbreak.
The withdrawals.
The discipline.
The business.
The brotherhood.
The calling.
What once looked like destruction was actually preparation.
God used pain to wake me up.
Discipline to rebuild me.
Business to sharpen me.
Brotherhood to surround me.
And faith to give me direction.
My mission now is simple:
Build businesses with integrity.
Build leaders.
Build brotherhood.
Build legacy.
And help men realize they are capable of far more than the lies they’ve believed about themselves.
Because I know what it feels like to stand spiritually at your own funeral.
And I also know what it feels like to finally choose life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Fresh Hope Genetics DBA SugarNest Extracts ?
SugarNest Extracts is a Michigan-based cannabis company built on one core belief: quality and transparency should never be compromised.
We specialize in premium cannabis concentrates and infused products, with a strong focus on live resin, cured resin, disposable vapes, 510 cartridges, concentrates, infused pre-rolls, and innovative products like our SugarNest Glazers. Everything we produce is created with intentionality — from the source material and terpene profiles all the way down to the hardware experience and final packaging.
What sets SugarNest apart is that we are building far more than just another cannabis brand. We are building a culture, a reputation, and a standard. In an industry that often moves fast and cuts corners, we’ve stayed committed to consistency, honest sourcing, disciplined execution, and real relationships with both our retail partners and consumers.
We take tremendous pride in being hands-on with every part of the process. Our team genuinely cares about the products carrying the SugarNest name. Whether it’s pulling long hours to ensure orders are fulfilled on time, educating budtenders at vendor days, or obsessing over flavor and hardware performance, we believe the details matter because the customer experience matters.
One of the things we are most proud of brand-wise is the trust we’ve built. We want people to know that when they purchase a SugarNest product, they are getting something crafted with pride and backed by accountability. We stand behind our products, our partnerships, and our reputation.
Our slogan, “Founded on Quality, Built on Transparency,” isn’t just marketing language — it’s the foundation of how we operate every single day.
We also believe cannabis brands should stand for something bigger than products alone. SugarNest is about creating opportunity, building strong relationships, and developing a culture centered around discipline, growth, loyalty, and leadership. As we continue to grow throughout Michigan and beyond, our goal is simple: become one of the most respected concentrate-focused cannabis brands in the industry by consistently delivering products and experiences people can trust.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
You’re going to fail, that’s part of the game..
The faster you realize that failing is inevitable and embrace it, the faster you’re going to progress…
Do your best to not make the same mistakes twice..
You are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with..
Find a group that will help hold yourself to higher standards.
Find tools that we’ll help with making sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to everyday.
I use the Operator Standard App.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.SugarNestextracts.com
- Instagram: Oliver_Goulet23
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GQZyWK1Hm/?mibextid=wwXIfr
