NOT born this way - The official podcast of the Iron Legion Strength Co. and NOT Born This Way brand apparel.

This is a quote that spoke to me. Today we’ll discuss what it means and how to live with this in mind.

Understanding how the physical body and health affect our emotions and our mental health is essential to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

We are told that hard work is the secret to success. Just “work hard” and you’ll achieve. But is that the truth? I believe that is a little misleading and that there is something much more important than hard work.

Pain, hardship and loss are very difficult things and we all encounter them in one way or another throughout our lives. And while these things are generally unwelcome, I have found that often times, with a lot of work and the right outlook, I can sometimes find an upside.

It’s a wild irony. So many of the things that will make its happier, feel better, healthier, stronger, etc., are things that are hard and that we don’t really want to do. Let’s talk about it.

Over the years I’ve witnessed some absolutely incredible transformations, instances where people have completely changed their lives in a matter of a year or two. It has been incredible to watch and to experience. Upon speaking with and observing these folks, I’ve come to learn that there are basically two ways in which this happens and usually some combination of the two. Let’s discuss today!

With 58 year-old Mike Tyson stepping back in the ring to take on an athlete less than half his age, there has been a lot of talk about how much his age would affect his athletic ability and performance. And while the difference between 58 year-old Mike and 28 year-old Mike was very apparent, there were great lessons to be learned and lots of things to discuss.

Giving up alcohol is arguably one of the most powerful and life changing things I’ve ever done. Today I want to share my story in the hopes that it may help someone who wants to do the same.

“That’s it. I can’t do this. I’ve tried and I just can’t. I’m done.” Sound familiar? Of course it does. We’ve all done it. Let’s talk about why we do it and why we need to stop doing it.

Bad asses. You know the people I’m talking about. Whether they are people we know in real life or just through social media, we look up to them. Sometimes they might even just be characters that aren’t real people, but we are inspired by them nonetheless. They seem unflappable. Full of confidence and courage, afraid of nothing and ready to rise up and take on every challenge. We wish we could be like them. Today I wanted to tell a story about a situation of my own, one where many people have called me a badass. They’ve told me how inspiring and how awesome something I have done was. Now while I am beyond humbled and flattered by these words, I wanted to share the truth behind them and the true emotions behind this event that might surprise some people. And the reason I want to share this is that in talking to many, many other badasses over the years, I have found any of the same feelings and emotions to be true for them as well. I hope you find this helpful and that it inspires you to take action despite your fears, because we all share those fears.

Lofty goals are great. Seeking excellence and mastery is virtuous. But is it really what we want? Let’s discuss.

“That’s it. I can’t do this. I’ve tried and I just can’t. I’m done.” Sound familiar? Of course it does. We’ve all done it. Let’s talk about why we do it and why we need to stop doing it.

It’s been said a million times but that’s because it’s true.

A how-to on how to grow an epic small business organically and a cautionary tale about how you can sabotage that business just as quickly.

If you know me, you know this is how I roll. Let’s talk about what this means and why it works.

So much confusion regarding fat loss. Let me simply it for you in less than 15 minutes.

Sometimes success is simply a matter of riding out the storm. Persevering and persisting. Understanding that there will be periods where we struggle, where we stall out and even go backwards. The earlier we understand that this is simply a necessary and unavoidable part of the journey, the better off we will be. Let’s discuss.

“I’m no good at this.” How many times have we said this?

How many times have you done this? Told yourself you were just going to “take a break” from the gym, or your graduate degree or your nutrition plan; only to realize much later that you never went back. It wasn’t a break. It was quitting. Telling ourselves we are taking a break is how we lie to ourselves about quitting. Let’s discuss.

Make no mistake about it. Life is hard. Sooner or later, we will encounter tough times. It’s inevitable. Unfortunately, some will face them more than others, but I think we can all agree that all of us will face hard times. The question is not if but when. And the next question is how do we handle them? How do we get through them, how do we survive them? The answer is we have to prepare for them. We have to be ready for them. But how? Let’s discuss.

We always say “don’t quit” and “never give up” and much of the time, that’s solid advice. Pretty obvious actually right? If you quit, of course you won’t reach your goals. Pretty straightforward. But what if there are times and situations where quitting is appropriate and even necessary? This is actually pretty common and very important. There is an art to knowing what to quit and when. Let’s discuss.

What it is, why we have it and how to get past it. This is a must-listen for anyone who has feelings of self-doubt and insecurity about something they may be doing and feeling like they just aren’t qualified to be doing it. Check it out.

Where will you draw your line in the sand? What will you no longer accept? From yourself and from others? Where is the line? Is there even a line? Let’s discuss.

The most common response to the question “why aren’t you where you want to be in life”, whether we are talking about physical shape, career, whatever; is “I can’t get or stay motivated.” Motivation is temporary and fleeting and knowing that, I decided to record this podcast so you’d have something to go back to and play anytime you need a good, quick kick in the ass. Let’s go!!!

Most people are ordinary. That’s what ordinary means: not different or special, like everyone else. Most people would say that they don’t want to be ordinary, they want to be extraordinary. They want to live extraordinary lives. But when it comes time to change the eating habits, to eat differently than everyone else, to change the lifestyle and live differently than everyone else, to work differently than everyone else; then all of a sudden everyone just wants to “live like a normal person” again. Lol. I get it but that’s just not how it fucking works. Let’s discuss.

Confidence is a game changer. Everyone knows that. But how do we get it? It’s not that simple. Let’s discuss.

Behind every success is a long list of failures and disappointments. I don’t know if that’s a quote but it should be. I know my story has a bunch of them. It always made me feel better when I would hear successful people talk about all of the things that went wrong on their journeys. It made mine feel more normal. On today’s podcast, I’ll tell you about a bunch of my mistakes and disappointments in the hope that it will better help you deal with yours and to understand that they are all just a part of the process.

In this episode we’ll discuss “The Perfect Day” exercise and how to use it as a roadmap for your life and also “The Perfect You” and how to use that to set your goals and daily actions. The things that we want to achieve, our goals, are typically things that may be slightly out of reach for who we are today. We need to become the person who can achieve those goals. An evolved version of our current self. The “Perfect You” exercise can help you determine what that evolved version of you looks like and how to become that person. LFG!

We have a lot of things we want to accomplish in our lives. We have a lot to do. But sometimes we struggle with getting started. When is the right time? I have the answer for you. The right time is now. Time is fleeting and most of the things we want to accomplish will take longer than we think. The secret to success is to start today. Let’s discuss.

We know we need to “give it all we’ve got” in order to be successful, but do we? Are we really giving it one hundred percent effort or do we not really know what that is? How do we know if we are living up to our potential if we are not truly giving it our all? Let’s discuss.

We talk a lot about genetics, hard work and the grind. One thing we often overlook, however, is something that I believe has the power to overcome all of the aforementioned. That thing is consistency. Let’s talk about how consistency can be the little known secret to your success.

We all know that there is a cost to pursing our dreams. We’ll likely have to sacrifice time, money, hobbies and sometimes even relationships in order to chase and achieve our dreams. But what if the cost of not chasing them? What is the cost to our soul? To the world? I personally believe that we are all here for a very specific reason. Our challenge here on earth is to find that reason and to pursue it. What if by not pursuing our dreams, we are not only limiting ourselves, but we are also robbing the world of our gifts? Let’s discuss.

Body dysmorphia is the dirty little secret of the fitness world. So many of us struggle with it and almost no one talks about it. I struggled with it for years and it wasn’t until only recently that I’ve been able to begin to escape it’s grasp. I’ll share my story in the hopes that it may help someone else.

Fear and anxiety can be crippling. We all face it to some degree. The good news is that there are ways to defeat and overcome these feelings.

You know the feeling. Not necessarily clinically depressed but just blah. Like the “what is the point of all this” vibe… I used to feel this way a lot. Not as much anymore. Here are some of the things that have helped me tremendously.

The many benefits of the ice bath and WHY in the world we should willingly sit in a tub full of ice water.

In today’s world of instant gratification, the ability to see and play the long game is of the utmost importance in the pursuit of excellence.

You know that thing you’ve always wanted to do but you are also secretly terrified of? Of course you do. We all have those things. Let’s talk about how to tackle those things and why doing so might the most important thing in your life.

Many of the best experiences of my life, whether it be workouts, meetings, family adventures, whatever; have come on days when I wasn’t at all in the mood. Let’s talk about how important it is to stick to the plan, no matter what your mood is, and also why it’s important to plan things when you are in the mood.

Ronnie Coleman, aka The King for his professional bodybuilding career had arguably the best genetic gifts for bodybuilding success. So why did he not even place in the top 10 for so many years? What changed to allow him to win and go one to become one of the greatest of all time? We can learn a lot from his story.

We had high hopes for a nation of unity and understanding, yet it seems the last few years have brought us just the opposite. Now, maybe more than ever before, we seem to have more and more topics and issues to disagree about and be divided over. Honest and open conversations about these topics have been replaced by snarky Twitter posts and pointed memes. How do we navigate a world where some of the people closest to us seem to disagree with our points of view on one or sometimes several very important and personal topics? How can we continue to stay friends, to work together, to have family get-togethers when we are so opposed? Let’s discuss that today and let’s also see if we are really as opposed as it appears.

How do we react when we hit bumps in the road on our journey? Do we freak out because something is wrong or do we know that this is a normal part of the journey?

A massive component of success is the self-image. Confidence, self-reliance; the belief in one’s self is arguably the most important component in determining whether someone will be successful. Let’s talk about how to develop that.

Whether we are talking business, family, finances or whatever; the relationships we have with other humans are massively important. Here is a little lesson I was reminded of recently.

Why mistakes are not only unavoidable, they are also a hugely important and necessary part of the process of success.

I’ll often say “just start” when someone asks how they should begin going after their dreams. I realized that that advice might need some clarification. Here is that clarification.