Forks in the road of life are inevitable. The decisions we make and the direction we follow, can enable us to find our greatness. When you get forked, just keep going and never give up.
When we think of climate change, it conjures images of industrial smokestacks and bumper to bumper traffic, all spewing toxic emissions into the environment. Perhaps we see a jet take off down the runway leaving billowing black exhaust in its trail. It’s not likely that we look below our feet at the soil and imagine that it could be one of the greatest makers or breakers in the challenge of turning the tides of climate change. This week we’re speaking with Ananda Fitzsimmons, the president of the board of directors for Regeneration Canada. I’m this episode we discuss: The mission of Regeneration Canada to educate and raise awareness about the importance of soil regeneration as a critical climate change solution. Soil as being host to a vast community of microorganisms that are the primary creators of soil fertility. Farming techniques that harm the microorganisms in the soil and significantly reduce soil fertility. Tilling soil as a major contributor to releasing carbon back into the atmosphere and destroying the microorganisms in the soil. The carbon footprint of agriculture. The principles of regenerative agriculture. The need to simplify labeling so consumers can know under what conditions their food was produced: regeneratively or in a degenerative manner? Is the Canadian government doing enough to help farmers transition to regenerative farming? Farmers For Climate Solutions as an organization committed to lobbying the Canadian government to support farmers and regenerative agriculture. The cycle of debris that settles on the earth surface and the importance of not filling debris into the soil. How to make farming more profitable by transitioning to regenerative farming. Large companies finding investing into regenerative farming as a means to build a more conscientious brand. The emergence of certifications on labels to show that a product has been regeneratively produced. Organic labels as not evidence of regenerative methods of growing. The controversy around the use of Glyphosate on our crops in Canada. The need for immediate action toward climate activism and change. This is not a time for slow change. You can connect or support Regeneration Canada at: https://regenerationcanada.org https://instagram.com/regencanada
Erik Chevrier is an accomplished professor, researcher, and social activist. He’s a PhD candidate, specializing in subjects such as, food and culture, political economy of inequality, community and local activism, and food sustainability; to name a few. In this episode we discuss: the importance of our imagination and seeing what kind of future we want to create. How we need to dispel myths in our beliefs of what we’ve been taught about the world. Such as, agriculture does not have to be mechanized and large industrial farms do not necessarily feed the world. Our present agricultural methods are destroying our planet. Erik explains the concept of “carbon sinks” and carbon extraction from the air. How reconnecting with our food through gardening and cooking, helps us to build deeper awareness of our responsibility to our planet. Small plot intensive farming and how we can produce a significant amount of food on a small piece of land. Urban agriculture as a real model to produce food. Building local communities through changing models of agriculture. In order to solve our current crisis we need to look beyond our present “for profit” way of producing food. Prioritizing community over profit. The consumer mentality and how to curtail the behaviour in a way that moves away from over consumption. The myth that food is cheap. In actuality we have cheap food due to the poor work conditions and pay to migrant labourers. The true cost of food is far higher. How our capitalist system is set up to require continuous consumption. The need to change our politics and have citizens more involved in their local communities and catalyze change locally as a start. Beliefs need to change but helping an individual to recognize that their beliefs need to be modified is no easy task. When our beliefs are challenged we can sometimes become irrational in the defence of them. Introducing people to ways of seeing different dietary practices in a less intimidating way. Even though slow change in our industry practices seems like an accessible way forward, we must recognize that change actually needs to be done now and absolutely. You can connect with Erik on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/erik.chevrier
We live in a time where so many things are made to be complicated. From exercise and nutrition, to just simply rediscovering our primal connection to our environment. Non of this needs to be made complicated and it is all in fact, simple. Taylor Thompson is a health and lifestyle coach. He’s a community builder and brings people together around the theme of teaching us to get more in touch with our natural movements, friendships, and introspection as our key practices for a meaningful life. In this episode we discuss: The beginnings of Taylor’s Instagram handle wildmanpt. Taylor shares the story of his outdoor lifestyle in his younger years on the Island of Kawaii. Community rebuilding from the Covid disruption. Community as a cornerstone to rebuilding our health and wellness. The importance of building a tribe of people who learn and grow together. Strategies people can begin to implement in order to elevate their health consciousness. The importance of journaling. Gratitude as a way to set the stage for a great day. Bioenergetics to address emotional trauma or just to simply to change our state of mind. Taylor shares his past experience as a power lifter and injuries that he suffered during the sport. The importance of finding a place to consistently get our workouts in no matter what time of year it may be or whether or not we have a gym. Staying fit working out from home. Seeing past the temptations in life and staying on track with our goals. The importance of patience on the path to better health. Taylor’s nutrition practice. You can connect with Taylor on Instagram: https://instagram.com/wildmanstrengthpt
As we arrive to the middle of summer, the Covid disruption and quarantine seems so far away. We can’t help but think to the months ahead and hope that we don’t revisit the circumstances of early 2020. Whatever the future may hold, we as individuals can challenge ourselves to see our situation as an opportunity to change. As we look to industries and governments to take on the responsibility to adopt more sustainable practices, we as well must take on the challenge to change our lives. Chase Tucker is an outdoor adventurer, YouTube movie creator, and ultra athlete. He shares his beliefs and practices during the Covid quarantine and lifestyle advise to help us to recapture our sense of adventure. In this episode we discuss: The importance of following up with people who show interest in our online brand. Structuring our online business in a way that allows us to be interactive with followers. The second wave of Covid-19 in Spain. Chase shares how the quarantine impacted his training and preparation for ultra events. We can continue to work on our conditioning with at home training. It may not be as motivating but we can remain fit while being in quarantine . Managing online business while taking extended days off to compete in events. The importance of having big goals to keep us engaged in our objectives. When we are people who chase goals, we can become better people and transmit that to others. The importance of mental toughness. Overcoming fear as the main block to our success. Daily journaling as a method to work on self improvement. The importance of devoting time to our personal development each day. Making life decisions based on our values and not always be money motivated. Discussion on Chases youtube video “When all this passes.” Link to video below in the show notes. Chase offers advise on mindset shift, should we go into a second wave of quarantine this fall. Nutrition, longevity, and radicalized attitudes toward what we eat. 6 PRACTICAL WAYS TO BUILD MENTAL STRENGTH FOR THE MOUNTAINS https://basecamptraining.com.au/2020/01/30/mental-strength-for-the-mountains/ When all this passes what will be different? https://youtu.be/U16EJkQeC-s Website: https://www.basecamptraining.com.au YouTube: : https://www.youtube.com/c/ChaseMountains Instagram: https://instagram.com/chase_mountains?
Self reinvention never looks the way we imagine it to be. It often is required in times when we least expect it. If we can look past the stress of it and imagine something better for our lives, we can at least work in the direction for something new and maybe even better for ourselves. As the Covid disruption continues to push us to adapt, many of us have found ourselves having to practice our physical fitness in unfamiliar ways. Coach Anissa Marcanio is a fitness and health coach, In this episode we discuss: Online entrepreneurship in the fitness industry. The importance of reflecting our most sincere self online. The challenge for personal trainers to find their place in the online training world. Defining what “making it” means in our business. Instagram influencer content vs true exercise instruction content. Learning to be aware of our body and how it moves naturally. Natural outdoor body movements vs the movements performed in a gym. Women and learning to lift weights and not fearing weight bearing exercises. Building our own “second wave” through transforming our health and fitness. Are you self caring or self avoiding? You can connect with Anissa on Instagram: https://instagram.com/anissa.mek?
As society slowly returns to activity, there is no denying that our conversations among one another have changed. Covid-19 has awakened us and brought to light fragilities in our current system. Though we have demonstrated our ability to transform many of the ways in which we conduct business, we see more clearly the elements of society that we must work harder on. One of the most pressing issues that demands our attention is the significantly large portion of the population that is not in good health. Remote indigenous populations are among those who suffer most from health inequality. It is imperative that we acknowledge that these populations represent the failure of our system to foster diversity and support communities far from urban centres. Indigenous people live closest to the natural environment and therefore are most impacted by the deterioration of our ecosystem and poor government polocies. Diversity is our only safeguard for the future of our planet and should we fail to recognize the urgency to reestablish the health of these remote communities, we risk failing our planet. This weeks guest is Dr. Bernard Reid. He is a family care practitioner in North Eastern Canada. He shares his learning experience and insights into working with these unique remote communities. In this episode we discuss: The Waskaganish region in Northern Quebec where Bernard practices as a doctor in family medicine. Waskaganish is a very rural region that poses very unique challenges to practice medicine. Bernard describes the diverse medical conditions that present daily in his clinic. Urban settings verses rural settings and how they differ in a family medical practice. Bernard acknowledges the challenges of being thrust into this rural setting and dealing with such a variety of medical conditions after only 2 years internship. We discuss the incredibly steep learning curve in the first year of a medical practice. Bernard’s passion for the unique challenges that come with practicing family medicine in a remote region. The unique challenges the region had to face with Covid-19. The health status of the indigenous people in the James Bay region. The rates of chronic diseases among indigenous people. Very high rates of obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and coronary heart disease. The major challenges of health inequality. Our imperative to respect and embrace cultural diversity as an absolute requirement to safeguard our planets future. The systematic destruction by Western practices to destroy the indigenous way of life. The root cause of many of our cultural problems is the disregard for the indigenous people through colonial practices.
As covid sent the vast majority of our population into sequestration, many of us found ourselves taking the time to see the world through different lenses. Many of the fragilities of our systems were and still are being revealed. This novel corona virus is convincingly demonstrating that there are large portions of our population who’s health are needlessly in serious jeopardy. It doesn’t take much inquiry to understand that inequality is a major driver for poor physical and mental health. Health inequality is a serious local and global problem that must get resolved. We need to come to a place of agreement where we acknowledge that though we may never see a perfect world of equality, we must make it that every individual is at least provided the tools and opportunity to pursue personal health and well being. Coach Kristal Lollis is a health and wellness coach and cofounder of Tribe Fitness in Salem North Carolina. In this episode we discuss: The challenges of urban food deserts. How poverty and deep inequality creates an environment that makes practicing a healthy lifestyle almost impossible. The issues around people not having resources to practice health and fitness. When we don’t have healthy role models in our lives it makes it more unlikely that we will be healthy. Scarcity is overwhelming on an individual and makes it very difficult to put their focus on additional priorities, such as fitness and healthy eating. Communities where all of the local population live with scarce resources, are highly likely to suffer with lifestyle related illness. You can connect with Kristal on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachmekris/
As we move through the Covid19 disruption, we are witnessing the fragilities of our current system. Beyond the fragilities of our unsustainable business models is the systemic racism and inequality that just might be the greatest cause of many of our global problems. Our history is scarred with racism and the unjust treatment of billions of people who are at the mercy of a system that has been built to serve the needs of the few at the expense of the many. We are now at a turning point that has been brought to climax through the murder of George Floyd. He is one man but is representative of the history of the abuse of black people and minorities. This podcast is my attempt to contribute in the way I hope to best serve the movement of “black lives matter.” Like myself, Jean Hamilton has never spoken on this issue in public and my hope is that this will bring forward an authentic unscripted representation of how everyday citizens are navigating these times of upheaval. I’m sure that together he and I will find our best voice to do our share to keep this movement not only alive but to help society as a whole to find that space where all citizens can be given a fair hand in this incredible life. I’m this episode we discuss: This is not an issue of whites vs blacks. This is a call to action for all of us to come out and fight this illness we call racism. Biases in law enforcement and the frequency of false arrests of black citizens. Institutional racism that is known but not changed. The importance of the individuals in society to make personal change in their lives. Our schools are not teaching our children about the truth of our history. The slaughtering of the native people, slavery, and the atrosities of colonization; needs to be taught. If we don’t see how we are biased in our own views, we won’t recognize the work we need to do on ourselves. Being attentive to our racist vocabulary. Using our words to empower people. You can connect with Jean Hamilton on instagram https://www.instagram.com/jhamilton_22/
During these times of sequestration, many of us have found ourselves in contemplation about our health, fitness, and what we would like to change in our lives. With a deep sense that the world is changing and certainly our hopes that the world will in fact change, we don’t want to miss this opportunity to challenge ourselves to change with it. This is our 3rd part of our conversation with coaches Julia Balit and Nathan Zentner. We go deep in this discussion and explore the very controversial questions of the individual taking accountability for their personal well being. In this episode we discuss: let’s take action on our health today and not wait for something to go wrong before we start. When we wait to make changes in our health practices, we have to take more drastic measures to improve our wellbeing. Being fit and healthy takes effort and energy. We acknowledge that there are some people living in scarcity and practicing health and fitness is almost impossible for them due to lack of resources. We look at reasons people claim as to why they don’t exercise. Why we should not be so quick to claim to be a specific body type. Adhering to principals of fitness will approximate everyone to a fitter body. We acknowledge that being underweight and overweight are equally unhealthy. Body shaming should never be a reason to have someone exercise. The importance of mentally laying the foundation for better health. Start with the mind and the fitness will follow. Creating clear, attainable, but challenging goals. We also need a very big goal that challenges our behaviour over the long term. You can connect with Julia on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabalit/ You can connect with Nathan on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zentnernathan/
Every individual and industry is at a fork in the road. Our lives have been disrupted with very little notice. These are the covid19 lockdown podcast editions. These are the stories of people, sharing their experience & vision of how we can emerge better. There is a subtle yet clear shift happening in our world. We all feel that the mistakes that have been made in relation to our planet, can somehow be revisited now and made right. Almost as though we can hit a reset button. It is overwhelming to think on such a large scale to bring about the changes that we all feel must be made to heal ourselves and our planet. Before we can heal our earth, we must reconnect and heal ourselves. Much of our healing must be done though our connection to our food and nutrition. The methods by which we produce food is presently broken. Our methods of farming are unsustainable and the health of our population is at risk due to chemical farming and depleted nutrients in our soils. The good news is that we can change this, and there are people like Erik Chevrier, who are inspiring many people to reconnect with their food and health. There is a new food revolution taking place, bringing food production locally, and maybe even in our own backyard. Erik Chevrier is an accomplished professor, researcher, and social activist. He’s a PhD candidate, specializing in subjects such as, food and culture, political economy of inequality, community and local activism, and food sustainability; to name a few. In this episode we discuss: The health benefits of natural whole food and how gardening benefits our physical and mental health. Collective gardens as a means to build communities. The myth that we need huge farms and large industries to feed the population. Much of the world is fed by small farms. Lack of biodiversity in our farming practices puts our food supply at risk. I ask Erik why biodiversity is so important. Agroecology as a cornerstone to sustainable farming practices to free us from GMO’s and chemical farming. Many large companies such as Cargill are major contributors to deforestation in order to make way for crops to feed livestock. The food industry can seem so big that we become lost in how to take charge of our relationship with food. Erik gives us ideas of how to get started with building a better relationship with food. We explore the topics of community sponsored agriculture, and supporting our local food networks. You can connect with Erik on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/erik.chevrier or visit his website: https://www.erikchevrier.ca
Every individual and industry is at a fork in the road. Our lives have been disrupted with very little notice. These are the covid19 lockdown podcast editions. These are the stories of people, sharing their experience & vision of how we can emerge better. This is part 2 of our discussion with fitness coaches, Julia Balit and Nathan Zentner. In this episode we discuss: This fit/sick curve. This is a theory that proposes that, our fitness will inevitably help us to shorten sickness times and withstand illness better than those who are not fit. The importance of maximizing our fitness in current times. When we don’t know where to start in our health journey, the best thing to do is to start taking control of the things in our life that we have some control over. How to keep our mindset focused on goal attainment. Action is what builds our motivation. We need to get into action to get motivated. Will power and how to harness it to get into action. To just get moving and the endorphins kick in quickly to keep us moving. Motivation through accountability partners. Having a huge goal is the best way to keep us focused on success. Work hard, be patient, and consistency will come. To have the taste of a win is critical to elevating our belief that we are capable of winning. The importance of personal development. You can connect with Nathan on instagram https://www.instagram.com/zentnernathan/ You can connect with Julia on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabalit/
Every individual and industry is at a fork in the road. Our lives have been disrupted with very little notice. These are the covid19 lockdown podcast editions. These are the stories of people, sharing their experience & vision of how we can emerge better. Personal trainers and the fitness industry at large have all been disrupted due to the covid19 pandemic. Professional and personal reinvention is without a doubt one of our present challenges. This is part one of our discussion with Strength and fitness coaches, Julia Balit and Nathan Zentner. In this episode we discuss: Our personal discoveries we have made about ourselves. Our initial reaction to the disruption in the fitness industry. Julia and Nathan share how they launched their online personal training work. How they used their time to take on projects that they previously kept putting aside. Self reinvention is not very obvious and comes with its own frustrations. The worry of missing out on opportunity as a source of stress. Nathan shares his moment of frustration and discouragement, and his decision to get back on track with his nutrition and mindset. Emotional eating is something we all have to deal with. Our discipline will inevitably determine our health outcomes. You can connect with Julia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliabalit/ You can connect with Nathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zentnernathan/
Every individual and industry is at a fork in the road. Our lives have been disrupted with very little notice. These are the covid19 lockdown podcast editions. These are the stories of people, sharing their experience & vision of how we can emerge better. Personal trainers and strength coaches are having to reinvent how they coach their clients and athletes online. This week we are talking to strength and conditioning specialist, Dean Hollingworth. In this episode we discuss: How Dean is maintaining his own fitness and health during the lockdown. He shares, how with very limited home equipment, Dean has managed to keep his fitness up. Using exercise bands and body weight exercises. Practicing exercises with a slower tempo to compensate for lack of equipment. The bright side of not having heavy weights to train with has given people a chance to repair their body from all of the heavy lifting. There is no reason that we can not stay very fit, exercising at home with very little or no equipment. We talk about the cancellation of all sporting events. Athletes dealing with limited training equipment during quarantine and maintaining competition level fitness. How does an athlete stay motivated when there’s no event to work up to. Tips for all of us to apply in our daily lives to keep some form of healthy routine. You can connect with Dean on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanmtl/
With the rise of the new corona virus, the worlds industries have shut down and populations around the world have found themselves in self quarantine. The fitness industry professionals are among many who find themselves reinventing and how they provide their services. Haskel Garmaise, is a personal trainer and health coach who is among the many fitness professionals who are meeting the challenge of self reinvention, face on. In this episode we discuss: The challenges of performing personal training online. Managing to work from home in quarantine with little privacy. When we reinvent ourselves we need to reach out to our family and allow them to support us. The importance of being ready for changes in our industry and not expecting business as usual to stay the same. No matter what our age may be, we have to evolve and embrace change. Relationships and the importance of deeper connections with clients in order to understand their needs. The importance of having a healthy body which is the foundation to a healthy mind and spirit. Eating and boredom. Especially during quarantine. Tips on staying healthy during quarantine. Tips for personal trainers on how to work with clients online. Don’t give into the uncertainty. Push yourself to make the changes necessary to reinvent yourself. You can connect with Haskel on instagram https://www.instagram.com/spiderhask/
There are statistics that indicate that only 8% of people will succeed with their New Years resolutions. Whether this leads some to believe that making resolutions is a waste of time, I am personally more concerned with helping those who have fallen, to get back up and get back on track. No one can deny that change is difficult and the frustrations that we encounter along the way can easily nudge us back into our old habits. My goal with forked podcast is to share the stories of everyday people and how they overcome their personal challenges. My hope is that listeners may find a story that inspires them and enables them to stay the course in discovering their personal potential. In this weeks episode, I’ve included excerpts of recent past episodes, highlighting some solutions to the most common reasons we fall short of goals and resolutions. In this episode we discuss: That nagging feeling that we are behind and too late in the game to realize our goals. Don’t wait for things to be perfect to go out and give it your best shot. Being true with ourselves and admitting if we just aren’t willing to give certain things up in order to reach our new goals. Focusing on todays wins and being committed in the present. Depression as a major cause to break away from our goals. What can we do to ease the destructive force of depression. When we look back at the startup of successful people, we see that it took time to find success. Patience with determination and commitment will bring its rewards. For the full podcast With Natalia Feldman, scroll to July 19, 2019. For the full podcast with Julia Balit, scroll to January 20, 2020. For the full podcast with Nathan Zentner, scroll to November 17, 2019. For the full podcast with Dean Hollingworth, scroll to December 1, 2019.
We can build honest and transparent relationships online. Social media can be a wonderful platform to encourage and motivate others. Coach Kristal Lollis is a personal trainer and cofounder of Tribe Fitness in North Carolina. In this episode we discuss: Transparency on social media. Trying to project our most authentic self online. Connecting with people who share common values in social media. The origins and values of Tribe fitness in North Carolina. Building a sense of community in a fitness centre as a way of keeping people motivated and connected to their fitness and health goals. Kristal shares a very dark period in her life when her physical and mental health were challenged. How cognitive therapy has helped her to take better control of stress and anxiety. The importance of listening to our body. Surrounding ourselves with people who can help us to be our best through honesty and open communications. Dealing with the feelings that we aren’t doing enough or being enough. How to know if you’re surrounded by the right people. How do we make the decision to go forward and give life our best shot. You can connect with Kristal on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachmekris/
Sometimes our greatest obstacle in starting our fitness journey is all of the confusion caused by so much information. We really need to get started by applying the basics and ignoring all of the noise in the fitness industry. Natalia Feldman is a personal trainer and lifestyle coach. She shares her insights and tips on how to get started on our health goals. In this episode we discuss: Natalia’s New Years goal to compete in a 2020 bikini competition. Setting goals that are too radical. When people use fitness influencers on Instagram as target models for their own fitness goals. Consumer confusion in the fitness industry. Marketing as creators of confusion. Steps to start our fitness journey in a simple way. Follow moms advice; eat your vegetables, eat fruit instead of candy, go to bed early, and put that phone away! The importance of progressively switching our mentality in the direction of a healthy lifestyle. Be patient. The power of journaling our goals or even using voice notes. You can connect with Natalia on Instagram: https://instagram.com/forcefulfeldman
We can have more than one passion in life. Choosing to do one or the other isn’t always necessary. Making a career of both passions could be an option, provided we’re willing to work and be organized. Alexander Thifault shares his journey as an entrepreneur in the fitness industry, while exploring his passion in fine dining and service. In this episode we discuss: Alexander’s startup in the fitness industry. Important qualities of a personal trainer. Alexander’s passion for cooking and the restaurant industry. Working as the personal trainer to celebrity chef Chuck Hughes. Alex shares his love for his work at the famous Montreal restaurant, Garde Manger. Tips on how to attain goals and keep them. The importance of practice to get better at anything. Your can connect with Alexander on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiosantedna/
We sometimes choose a particular destination for our lives and as we move along the path we discover that it doesn’t quite fit as we originally imagined. Shifting directions is a part of life, and the things that once captured our interests, never really go away. Those interests have a way of finding their place in our new vision for ourselves. Julia Balit is a strength & conditioning coach and a personal trainer. She shares her story of her shift in interests from her university major in music, to health and fitness. This is a perfect episode for the New Year, as the conversation focuses on change, how to stop comparing ourselves to others, and we provide steps to building sustainable change. In this episode we discuss : Julia’s original studies at Berkeley in music and how she made the decision to transition into health and fitness as a career. How she felt about leaving the direction of music after studying at a prestigious university. University as a powerful place to network and meet people; more important than the actual classes you take. What it takes to decide to follow a path of uncertainty that does not resemble a steady job. When we discover a new career and the insecurity we can feel when we feel we are behind and starting late in a new career interest. Navigating the artificial world of Instagram and image altering apps. It is inevitable that we will want to imitate those we admire. How do we not fall too far into the comparison trap. Comparing ourselves to the success of others. 3 steps to help us attain our New Years goals. You can connect with Julia on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/juliabalit/
Modern life has made staying healthy a significant challenge. Personal trainers and conditioning coaches can help clients to attain their fitness goals in a much more sustainable manner. Coach Jonathan Williams shares his insights as a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. In this episode we discuss: How personal trainers are constantly developing themselves as people. To help people to discover their best selves, it is an absolute requirement of the coach to be involved in personal development. As we approach the New Year, we discuss New Years resolutions and how to increase our chances of success. What does the trainer do with a client who wants to control the process and doesn’t listen to the coach. The importance of accountability when trying to hit fitness goals. The importance of staying true to your personal brand. You can connect with Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjonathanwilliams/
When we’re young, middle age, or into our old age, we should seek out challenges. Finding ways to push ourselves that are appropriate to our levels of expertise, is a critical way to staying motivated for a good life. This goes for exercise, sports, personal life, or work life. Dominic Adam is an extreme athlete, 6 time CrossFit Game competitor, and mentor. He owns and operates CrossFit Griffintown. In this episode we discuss: The importance of getting a little bit uncomfortable as a Segway to becoming something greater, and fighting stagnation. Finding material such as videos or reading books that get us motivated. We need to make decisions on purpose. Don’t live and let randomness be the driver of decisions. How can we stay motivated and sustainably hold on to our results. We need to find time for our self care. Become more intentional about your health and fitness. Finding your joy in getting uncomfortable. The power of community in staying on track. CrossFit has masterfully integrated this element into fitness. High energy workouts as a form of meditation. How Dominic defines “a good life” for himself. You can contact Dominic on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossfitgriffintown/ Crossfit Griffintown website: https://www.crossfitgriffintown.com
No matter what career we choose, there is a period in the beginning when we need to build our skills toward self actualization in our profession. Dean Hollingworth is a strength conditioning coach. He shares his journey from his beginnings as a personal trainer to his present position as a athletic performance coach. In this episode we discuss: The importance of patience in the beginning of trying to build a stable fitness business. We need to seek out people who want to see us succeed. These people will be connectors for us to build a client base. What are the necessary skills to become a successful personal trainer. As personal trainers we need to keep things interesting but really educate the basics of exercise. As a coach we need to help clients to understand the importance of consistency and lifestyle change as the ultimate goals. The importance of sleep and techniques to help to relax. We discuss calories, protein, weight training, and cardio for personal fitness results. You can connect with Dean on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanmtl/
Working, performance, injury, and time commitments. The struggles of young athletes. When young athletes don’t yet have sponsors, they have to work, study, and finance their passion. Nathan Zentner, shares his journey as a CrossFit Athlete. In this episode we discuss: The challenges of injury and competition. The importance of self care and recovery when we push our body to the limits. Finding the time to put in the training hours, and rehabilitation, all the while working with clients as a personal trainer. Nathan shares his honesty of wondering whether he is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to go all the way in his sport. We briefly discuss why people misunderstand CrossFit . The importance of a multidisciplinary background in sports as having a positive influence on future specialization. You can connect with Nathan on Instagram : https://instagram.com/zentnernathan
Forked podcast is all about sharing people’s stories of overcoming obstacles. I believe once we acknowledge that life is difficult, we build a certain type of respect for it. We then begin to understand the necessity to strengthen ourselves in order to deal with life’s turbulent nature. In all of the episodes of Forked Podcast, we hear common themes of rising up. Successfully moving beyond a problem is often made possible by having at least one key individual who’s encouragement and support is present during the conflict. I also maintain that practicing some sort of physical exercise to promote positive biological function in also necessary for the success of moving beyond life conflict. I express my concerns for those who have little or no support. My empathy is always with the underdog and I believe that a system that truly works, at least provides the means for people to have a positive community around them, and helps them to implement physical activity into their lives.
Quite often our most exciting projects are born during times of difficulty and conflict. Our struggles can be seen as moments that are nudging us toward new beginnings. Olivier Day shares his days leading up to the creation of Awaken the Awesome podcast. For more than 2 years he as been putting in the work to build content, share value, and deliver deep insights through his platform. In this episode we discuss: * The beginnings of Olivier’s podcasting journey. * To be truly committed and consistent with something we need to be passionate about it. * When we find ourselves in a mental dark place, we need to find simple things we can do daily to just get a bit better every day. * We don’t have to strive to be perfect. We just need to put our best foot forward and be ok if things aren’t exactly what we want them to be. Patience is key. * We need to put our own lives in order before we can be of service to others. * The importance of writing down our goals. * Changing our internal voice from one of failure to one of success. You can connect with Olivier on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamolivierday/ Follow his podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atapodcast/
Graffiti art, and street art, are ever present in our urban centres. It is believed to have been started in Philadelphia around 1967 by Darryl McCray, better know for his tag name, Cornbread. Since it’s early beginnings, birthed in illegal painting of public property under cover of night, Graffiti has surged to an all time high. Now attracting the attention of many people, interested in the unique styles, Graffiti artists are finding their talents in demand. Hans Schmitter aka Haks180, is a Graffiti artist born in a small town in Vermont. He found himself attracted to the hip hop movement that was coming on the scene in the 80’s. Breakdancing and Graffiti became his passion, and he shares his journey with us on forked podcast.In this episode we discuss: * The origins of street art and tagging. * Hans’s motivation behind his original curiosity for Graffiti. * The impressive art in South America, such as Rio De Janeiro. * Distinctions between street art and Graffiti. * The importance of not being attached to your work, as it is subject to being painted over or washed away. * Art as an expression of world issues and the importance of that platform for expression. You can connect with Hans on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/haks180 Visit his website:http://www.haks180.com
Comedians often have some of the most interesting perspectives on life and social issues. Vlad Levitt is a podcaster and standup comedian. He shares his thoughts on his Ukrainian heritage, his immigration to Canada as a young man, and how he keeps himself focused on his goals. In this episode we discuss: •Mutant squirrels, Borch, alcohol, and other Ukrainian myths. •Cultural stereotypes •The distractions that inevitably come with materialism. •Learning to appreciate our small victories and not constantly comparing ourselves to others. •Overcoming stage fright. •We examine how to find our true voice, and how to be true to the material that we feel best represents us. •We need to find the courage to just start and risk feeling uncomfortable. You can check Vlad out on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsP-pOYuqQguuzKkEG1nE9A Connect with him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vladlevitt/ Listen on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/no-ones-impressed/id1479774074
Our public education system, for a better part, has catered to one type of learning. We know now that each individual learns in their own unique way. It is likely that we are losing out, as children with great potential fall by the wayside due to an archaic educational system. Massive potential resides in children and must be unlocked through a more enlightened system. This week on Forked Podcast we meet Christopher Dedeyan. He is a Peak performance life coach, professional public speaker, and a leaning disability advocate. Christopher shares his journey as a man who was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 8 years old. In this episode we discuss: How, many young Dyslexic and ADHD students, eventually opt into jobs that they may not necessarily want to do but are afraid to pursue other fields due to the need to read and write with higher efficiency. We acknowledge that there are still stigmas that are attached to dyslexia and ADHD. The efficacy of our ability to diagnose dyslexia and ADHD. We talk about middle age adults who were never diagnosed with learning disabilities but came to realize they had it through their child’s diagnosis. Christopher gives us some tips on how to centre our minds so that we can be more intentional. We discuss the importance of discovering how we learn in our own unique way. Should we lean through visual, listening, etc.. Leverage your diagnosis to use all that is available to you in order to succeed. Being diagnosed can give you extra time in an exam, more time to complete a paper, and access to counselling in your school. We share views on the use of medication for dyslexia and ADHD. It is a very individual choice and we should be cautious in not having strong unwavering opinions on its use. You can reach Christopher on: instagram https://www.instagram.com/christopherdedeyan/ Website http://www.christopherdedeyan.com youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel
Outdoor adventurer and Polar expedition guide. Dagný Ívarsdóttir We all need to take climate change and the health of our natural environment very seriously. By exploring the outdoors and immersing ourselves in the planets beauty, we can learn so much about it. It’s possible that some of the solutions to our planets health will come from businesses and practices that teach people to participate in healthy ways with the outdoors. In this episode we will discuss: Having a healthy active lifestyle, promotes a better attitude toward the world and our view of ourselves in the natural world. Building strong community values, where people feel a sense of responsibility toward one another is key to better serving the environment. Communities such as those we find in Iceland, have high levels of happiness and health due to their strong connections to their common values. We discuss if it is possible to create such common values in large multicultural urban environments. What could be the underlying cause for the high levels of happiness in Iceland. We talk about the importance of having a vision for your future. Dreaming of a better life and working hard toward that goal. Living intentionally and keeping yourself fit and knowledgeable so that you remain relevant. Even when we lack the academic background to some professions, there are many other ways in which we can find our place in that field. When we find ourselves in new territory, our insecurities can come out in the form of “imposter syndrome”. This is when we doubt our accomplishments and fear we will be discovered as a fraud. We need to teach people to be more optimistic and have a lighter approach to the environment. Being radical and having extremist views doesn't serve the cause effectively. You can contact Dagny on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dagnyiv/
Responsible entrepreneurship is without a doubt, a major trend for the future. As citizens living in prosperous nations, we need to help emerging countries to build self reliance through domestic opportunities, job creation, and education. MoKafe is one of those companies, who are committed to building a global coffee brand, and create jobs and opportunity in Haiti. In this episode, we will meet Jean Hamilton Philippe, official distributor of Mokafe Canada. We will learn about: The history of coffee production in Haiti. The reemergence of the 200 year old brand; Mokafe. The organic coffee industry of Haiti. The untold story of Haiti as one of the worlds top coffee exporters. How we show up to the world is critical to our success. Techniques to keep a positive mindset. Entrepreneurs need to move past failure so that they can use their past experience to build toward success. Connect with Hamilton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jhamilton_22 Visit Mokafe web site: https://mokafecoffee.com/ Order your Mokafe coffee in Canada https://www.amazon.ca › Mokafe-B Order your Mokafe coffee in USA https://www.amazon.com › Mokafe- Forked podcast or Sean Chris Lewis receives no financial compensation for any orders made to Mokafe.
With growing concern for our environment, we will see more and more businesses that promote ecological responsibility and awareness. Businesses that promote education and participation in the natural environment, will have a niche in helping people feel that they are contributing in a positive way to the world we live in. MicroHabitat is one of those businesses. In this episode we will learn: Urban agriculture is a solid business model, to make use of empty rooftops, and other urban spaces. MicroHabitat is not just a service that grows herbs and vegetables for urban businesses. They are about educating and teaching the participants about natural habitats. Changing the world is about introducing businesses that will provide consumers with options that are more ecologically responsible. Entrepreneurial success takes time and patience. You can connect with Alexandre on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/microhabitatmtl/ Website http://microhabitat.ca/ Many of Alexandre’s philosophies are inspired by: Allan Savory https://www.savory.global/ Masanobu Fukuoka https://f-masanobu.jp/en/ Jean Martin Fortier http://lejardiniermaraicher.com/ Ron Finley http://ronfinley.com/
Plastic free July Olivia Sop & Jeremy Vairogs. It feels like now more than ever, we have to make a commitment to producing less waste. We have to remain optimistic that humans will address the pressing issues around environmental deterioration. This week on Forked Podcast, I introduce Olivia and Jeremy, who share their discoveries during their challenge for a plastic free July. https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/ In this episode we discuss: Once we begin to be more conscious of just how much plastic we use, it can be a real wake up call. The importance of everyone in the home cooperating with any initiatives to be more green friendly. Olivia and Jeremy explain how their plastic free July initiative was to cut down or eliminate all together, any single use plastics. Eliminate the use of: disposable coffee cups, plastic utensils, takeout food packaging, and plastic shopping bags. We recognize that some cities make a plastic free initiative much easier. Consumer demands and habits will inevitable shape the companies and the best practices of those companies in regards to the environment. Alternatives need to be convenient and affordable. Going green needs to be accessible to everyone. The reality is that if it’s not convenient and easily performed, people might not do it. We discuss why technology in the green movement moves so slowly. Here is a very interesting podcast that discusses technology and stagnation with Peter Thiel on The Portal https://youtu.be/nM9f0W2KD5s
On this weeks episode we’re talking to Brandon Lewis Tremblay. As a first year law student, Brandon discusses the importance of being aware of the disruptions that are inevitable in his field. Change is constant and immanent. This shouldn’t necessarily frighten people, as there are ways to develop ourselves so that we absorb change and even improve with it. In this episode we’ll learn: Tried and true keys to build our character and stay on top of our game, even in times of turbulence and change. How being a student is only one way to prepare ourselves for the workforce and our careers. The importance of being open minded and not stuck in one way of seeing things. Being a generalist has huge advantages and being a specialist is not necessarily the best thing. How do you prepare for technological disruption in your field? Different generations and their lack of ability to understand one another. You can contact Brandon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brand_lt/
Forked podcast welcomes Natalia Feldman. Natalia is a personal trainer and health coach. She wasn’t always in the fitness industry. She began her professional direction studying law. After realizing this was not where her true interests were, she turned her focus toward health and fitness. It was a path that brought her face to face with body image conflict and clinical depression. From her struggles and psychological trauma, she developed her unique approach to health and fitness. In this episode of Forked podcast we’ll discuss: The conflicts surrounding early specialization for school and career. Depression in adolescence. The psychological trauma from eating disorders and body image problems. The importance of finding an exercise and nutrition plan that works sustainably for your unique goals and lifestyle. How the wellness industry in many ways is just the diet industry, disguised under the deceptive banner of wellbeing. How simple lifestyle adjustments can equate to major health changes. We examine how all the opinions and information are successfully confusing people and not serving a higher purpose. Social media inevitably exposes us to all of the happy, healthy, beautiful people; which can cause serious self image problems. How to navigate the masquerade of perfection on the web. You can connect with Natalia@ https://www.instagram.com/forcefulfeldman/
Life is not about constantly reinventing ourselves. It’s more about trying new things and adapting to new scenarios. We don’t have to leave an old version of ourselves behind, we just have to use the tools that exist in us and apply them differently. In this episode we’ll discover: The importance of trying new things. We should never give up. We just need to adapt frequently to changing situations. There is no single version of ourselves. We are made up of many different talents, skills, and behaviours. Just because we are slim, doesn’t mean we’re healthy, and what we have to do about that. Life can be random and our opportunities may only be revealed if we just keep putting ourselves out there. Our social network is critical in helping us to stay grounded and connected. Our friends and family provide the emotional connection, when we find ourselves in fake and not very authentic company. Meet new people and connect with others in your profession, in order to increase the likelihood of success. Connect with Kelly @ https://www.instagram.com/kellycray/
Our thoughts can elevate us but they can also be very destructive. We need to learn self love so that we can be a better witness to our uniqueness. Once we learn to be more in harmony with how we see ourselves, we can silence the internal dialogue that perpetually echoes self doubt. As we embrace our imperfections and understand that we can never be perfect; we can begin to change and embark on a journey of fulfillment and growth. In this episode we’ll discuss: How we self sabotage. Not just with health and fitness goals, but also in how we show up to the world. We really can discover where the self sabotage comes from in our internal voice. How procrastination is caused by the pressure we put on ourselves to have the perfect outcome. The striving for perfection can have its root cause in the sense that we don’t feel like we’re enough. Letting go of our internal judge and the fear of being judged by others. Self love is the root of self acceptance and letting go of self shame. Meditation and recognizing the monkey brain in our head. How do we navigate Social media and stop comparing ourselves to others. The importance of treating ourselves the way we treat the people we love. We recognize low self esteem as a precursor to perfectionistic behaviour, and possibly leading to procrastination. Give yourself the grace to allow yourself to be a beginner. You can connect with Crystal at: Her coaching site, http://www.bodyconfidencemethod.com Her gym, https://www.santekorwestisland.com On Instagram, https://instagram.com/crystal_champagne?igshid=5ikl4lsgx79o Check out the incredible certification Crystal completed. https://www.crystalandrusmorissette.com/Home
Intro: Forked podcast welcomes Rudy Leger. Rudy is a personal trainer, athletic therapist, and vegan bodybuilder. 00:02:30 We acknowledge that the goal of this podcast is not in any way to propose that a vegan diet is for everyone. There are many ways to practice healthy eating but we simply want to talk about some key issues around a vegan diet. I briefly mention that I have more recently switched to a primarily vegetarian diet and I’ve found it to have significant health benefits. 00:04:00 We discuss Rudys bodybuilding debut as a practitioner of the vegan diet. His observations were that he found there to be more variety in this approach as opposed to a standard bodybuilders diet. He placed 2nd in his category and qualified for Toronto nationals next year. 00:07:00 We take a detour in the conversation to discuss the early passing of his mother. Sadly, two years ago, Rudy lost his mother to breast cancer. He found this period changed his outlook on human health. His mothers passing was instrumental in him taking his own health more seriously. Rudys father was not present in his family’s life and he had no brothers or sisters. When he lost his mother he found himself very much alone. This was a very dark period for him. At only 25 years old he was having to navigate his life with literally no family at all. 00:11:33 Rudy talks about refocussing on helping others. Part of his turnaround was his realization that no matter what we go through, someone else has gone through it as well. 00:17:30 We return to the discussion of nutrition. It really is a myth that being on a good nutrition plan is limiting. Once we commit to our health and start to eat more wholesome foods, we must inevitably cook more and explore new types of food. To rely on a standard American diet that is generally composed of animal proteins and processed food is in itself quite limiting. Rudy mentions that simply starting a diet plan that cuts out processed foods is already a great step in the right direction. 00:23:30 Sustainability of a good dietary practice. Most healthy diets are very sustainable. Eating a plant based diet is highly sustainable and ecologically friendly. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/3/660S/4690010 00:25:00 We get into practical advice, such as: the right amount of protein in our diets, omega 3’s on a vegan diet, and do vegans get adequate vitamin B-12? When constructing a nutrition plan for someone we need to always consider the 2 main components which are the macro nutrients ( proteins, fats, and carbohydrates), and the micro nutrients ( vitamins, minerals, and water). I ask his opinion on how many times it is best to eat in a day? Eg. Eating 3 times per day, or multiple times per day? Rudys feelings are that focusing on quality of meals is more important than the quantity. The decision to eat fewer or more times in the day however, is more dependant on the individual and their particular needs and goals. I talk about the importance of people investing a bit of their money into hiring a personal trainer who can help them to better understand their individual needs. This is money well spent and will affect, save people money in the long run. The question of how can a vegan get adequate omega 3 fatty acids in their diet. To keep it simple just think of omega 3’s as “healthy fats”. Best sources of omega 3’s in a vegan diet are Flax seeds, chia, hemp, walnuts, and most other nuts and seeds. As far as B-12 is concerned, this is simply resolved by consuming a B-12 supplement. Here is an absolutely excellent Peer Reviewed article that coincides with the question and Rudys response. It’s a bit technical and a deep dive but if you wish to scroll to the conclusion in the article, please do so. You will get the gist of the content. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK396513/ We discuss the consumption of soy protein. I myself, consume significant amounts of soy protein and joke with Rudy to go easy and not burst my bubble. It is very easy today to cherry pic the science on this macro nutrient. The division in opinions and studies should be clear evidence as to the fact that it is more a matter of opinion than it is of science. It is very safe to say that soy has neither curative properties nor harmful. It can simply be seen as a plant based alternative for protein. Very low in calories and carbohydrates, while very high in fibre. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1480510/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074428/ Final questions: 00:38:00 I ask Rudy where he sees himself in the future. What is his blissful state of being? He replies by saying that he prefers to take each day as it presents itself. Always trying to help people and enjoying the process as he goes. Dealing with the loss of his mother has taught him to try and live in the moment. Contact Rudy @ https://www.instagram.com/rude_boi_91/ Special shout out to Prestige gym https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/241789229/prestige-fitness/
A recent article that I read, was titled; "Millennials are consuming ungodly amounts of nacho cheese and slurpees. This is mainly due to the fact that 11% of the grocery shopping of millennials is being done in convenience stores and gas stations. This will continue as a trend and we will begin to see these destinations start to cater more to the needs of this fast pace generation. In fact, many gas stations and convenience stores are beginning to carry fruit, and other more healthy choices. For now it will be hot dogs, nachos and cheese; but soon organic products will hit the shelves and help this awesome generation to have better choices.
Intro: Forked podcast welcomes Anabel Carrasquel, owner and creator of the brand ChuchayBanana. 00:01:00 Anabel is in fact my wife and my intention was to always have her as a first interview. Her determination to always work through major life obstacles makes her a perfect guest for Forked podcast. Holding a full time corporate job, going to the gym, and building her start up business has made sitting down with her quite a challenge. 00:02:00 I’m anxious to share the valuable information for people who may be contemplating starting a small business, or are in the beginning of their journey as a business owner. I thought, who better than to sit down with than someone who is in the early start of seeing their efforts start to take flight? Chuchaybanana is definitely getting off the ground and this makes for very exciting times for an entrepreneur. 00:03:00 We kick off by trying to make the case that we can have busy lives but still start a new business project. Anabel holds a management position in an insurance company that takes a great deal of her productive hours in a given day. Anabel shares how she discovered her initial interest in creating beautiful bracelets and her initial curiosity into starting her small business. 00:05:30 We discuss the origins of the unique name; Chuchaybanana. It stems from an early nick name that was given to Anabel and her close friend. They liked to sew and create clothing together, and Anabel’s sister would jokingly call them Chuchaybanana, as a play on the brand name, Dolce & Gabbana. The name just stuck and she kept the name. 00:06:30 Anabel tells us that she never really though of this as a real business. It started more as a curiosity do develop a new hobby. From the curiosity of the hobby, she began to do more research into creating high quality bracelets. What started as a seemingly simple process, she became more aware of the complexity. The beads, elastics, connectors, glue, and charms; all had unique properties that needed to be understood in order to create a high quality affordable finished product. 00:07:30 The start of the actual process of selling her product started from people seeing her bracelets in the work place and among friends. Its origins really were from word of mouth and direct contact. The niche started to reveal itself as people were seeking more custom designs. 00:09:00 From the fun and love of just creating bracelets that people adored, Anabel began to think of how she could share the happiness that her creations were bringing to her life. As a Venezuelan immigrant, she came up with the idea to share the joy with children back in her country. The first event was a fun day at the pool with lunch and ice cream. They were children who never have access to clubs with pools. The second event was to provide a fun day with soup and delicious sandwiches on the last day of school. The events became Anabel’s fuel to grow the business, so that she could continue to help the young underprivileged children. 00:12:00 we discuss the importance of putting your energy into your passion. Things that we love to do will help us to weather the storms and frustrations that can come with starting a business. When you are truly passionate about what you are doing, you will always find the time to do what is necessary. Working on your business after you work on your job. Many times we have to put other things that we may want to do aside so that we can work on our business. The conversation moves toward the importance of small daily disciplines that are key in growing ourselves and mindset for business. 00:19:00 Anabel gives some advice to people who may be thinking about staring a small business. First, we need to find something we really like. This can only be discovered by trying something new. You have to get out of habitual patters. Get out there and see if people like what you have, so much, that they are ready to pay for it. We always need to dream and see a better future for ourselves. Anabel, as a first generation immigrant, came to Canada, not speaking both English or French. She goes on to explain how it is very important for immigrants to integrate into the culture of the country they immigrate to, in order to open more potential for opportunity. 00:22:30 Anabel talks about the importance of always being in expansion mode. Always be growing and do things that encourage personal development. Try to use time efficiently. She raises a very valid point that if our start up process is not yielding money, we absolutely must work in some sort of job to make the money to support us while we are trying to grow. We have to do some things that we may not want to do while we are working on our dreams. ( Here is an excellent article from Forbes that covers much of what Anabel is sharing from her experience.) https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikekappel/2017/07/12/10-tips-for-starting-a-small-business-that-you-havent-heard-a-thousand-times-already/#61571bbb6e19 00:25:30 By reinvesting small profits back into Chuchaybanana, Anabel has been able to have higher profitability to the point that she is now able to say she can take some of those profits as earnings. Anabel shares her personal development practices with us. She is focusing on studying “Think and grow rich”. She as well, follows the coaching of Bob Proctor. In the past 30 days she has been highly disciplined with the daily rituals encouraged from the methods of Bob Proctor and Napoleon Hill’s, Think and grow rich. She has always been fairly disciplined but has remarked that in order to get to the next level, she must build superior discipline for great daily practices. 00:29:00 We go more into depth of daily rituals of starting with the basics. Going to the gym, morning meditation, and focusing on mindset. We have to walk before we can run. The things we do when no one is watching are deeply important. Here is how to reach Anabel: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chuchaybanana/?epa=SEARCH_BOX Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chuchaybanana/ Website https://www.chuchaybanana.com
Intro: Forked podcast welcomes Luca Santalucia. We discuss both of our excitement to finally sit together and do this podcast. 00:01:15 We talk about Luca’s branded rubber bracelets inscribed; Win the day #teamsantalucia. His original idea was to create some branded hoodies and t-shirts. This all happened while he was in prep for his upcoming bodybuilding competition. With everything that was going on he felt he didn’t have the creative energy to get the clothing line done so he went for the bracelets. 00:02:20 Luca talks about his vision board that he keeps in his room where he writes down his goals and ideas. When he started his prep for competition, his first thoughts he wrote on the board were, “win the day”. Prep is about 17 weeks and with such tough days ahead, he feels it is important to take it one day at a time. I acknowledge the importance of writing down our goals and we are more likely to reach them if they are written down. 00:03:45 Luca shares his fascination with people who are passionate about following their dreams. People who do things with great skill, capture his attention and he always asks himself what it is about these people who take their craft to the next level. 00:06:45 He talks about the satisfaction of coming to competition day and feeling that he’s at his best. He finished first in the junior category. Second place in both classic physique and middle weight body building. 00:08:30 We discuss Lucas days as a boy and how sports has always been a part of his life. He acknowledges his parents as being a big influence ,as they are very active in physical fitness. 00:09:30 The surprise diagnosis of Lucas irregular heart condition. He was rushed to emergency with his resting heart rate at 260 beats per min. Remember that 60 beats per min is the average. He underwent surgery to correct the condition. Following a 6 hour surgery, he was informed that the surgery was a complete success. Within one week he was able to get back to the gym and train. Due to the renewed efficiency of his heart, he felt great new energy. 00:16:00 Once more, we return to discuss the importance of writing down our goals, be around like minded people, and the role of Lucas parents in his life. 00:16:45 Luca explains his belief that the prepping for a competition is a detox. The analogy is that, things that are not meant to be in your life will be removed during your prep for competition. One needs to take the goal so seriously, that things that only interfere in your life have no place, and will detract from your accomplishments. 00:17:15 Luca explains precisely what a prep for competition entails. The meal prep, training, and the whole lead up to the show. 00:18:00 We discuss what one needs to give up in their life in order to succeed. Lucas response is that you need to go into competition with a “what ever it takes” attitude. 00:20:30 Body building is a 24/7 sport. 00:22:15 How bodybuilding effects relationships. I ask Luca how he deals with public judgements of bodybuilders. The social repercussions of the strict lifestyle of a bodybuilder. 00:25:30 If you show people that you’re serious about your goals, they will support you. If they see us as not taking our goals seriously, it’s hard for them to take our goals seriously as well. 00:26:30 Luca drops the most amazing expression when describing doubters. He says “first they ask why, then they ask how”. 00:28:00 we recount Lucas keys for success. Write down your goals and keep them visible. Surround yourself with like minded people. Have a goal so clear that doubters can’t distract you from attaining them. 00:28:45 Advice to people who are trying to get fit but find themselves around family and friends who may tempt them off of their path toward betterment. Luca says that we need to make the goal bigger than ourselves. 00:32:00 How does Luca take on such major commitments and not give up? What are his habits? How does he control his mindset? 00:34:00 The importance of bringing our best self forward influences how people will support us in our goals. Luca talks about how he wasn’t always kind during his preparation for competition. He says that his sport is a selfish sport and he is learning from this. 00:36:30 Luca opens up about the diagnosis of his sisters incurable illness (spastic paraplegia: read more about the condition https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/all-disorders/hereditary-spastic-paraplegia-information-page ) his grandmothers diagnosis with cancer, and additionally his own challenges with his competition. Guilt became a more pervasive mood because of his feelings of being selfish about chasing his dreams. He is proud that he still didn’t turn his back on his goals. 00:39:30 Gratitude became a driving factor in his journey to competition. 00:42:00 I ask Luca how he sees his future best life? What is his true bliss. He says he first needs to become his best self before he can give his best to anyone. If he can’t succeed, he can’t give back to the world in the way he hopes he can. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lucasantalucia/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/luca.santalucia.5 Shout out to Prestige Fitness Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PrestigeFitnessOfficial/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/241789229/prestige-fitness/
Forked podcast introduces Michel Babin; personal trainer, strength conditioning coach, athletic therapist, osteopath and naturopath. He has been working in the health and fitness industry for 12 years. Worked in the maritimes and moved to Montreal 6 years ago, to start his fitness business. He shares his 3 keys to being a successful personal trainer. 1. You need clients to like you and you need to be someone who people can connect with easily. 2. you need to get results with your clients. It will entice others to want to work with you through referrals. 3. The experience of your session must be fun and motivational. 00:04:00 I ask Michel what his feelings are on working with clients who are not getting results; working with clients who don’t want to commit to the full process. Are we willing to let go of a client who isn’t getting results? Isn’t it more important to keep working with a client, as exercising still has major health benefits even if the results aren’t necessarily there? 00:07:00 Michels response to this is that the client inevitably must take accountability for the results they have. The trainer however must probe into the underlying reasons this client may not be getting results. Are they not being truthful about nutrition habits? or are they being inconsistent with exercise? Michel states clearly that if you are doing the right steps you will get results. 00:08:00 We discuss Michels interesting looking green liquid he showed up to the recording with. It is his vegetable powder supplement that he consumes regularly. His belief is that we don’t get enough nutrients in our diet especially considering the depleted nutrient values of fruits and vegetables that have been sitting in warehouses and store shelves. 00:08:45 I ask Michel the big question about letting go of a client due to lack of results. Is this really a good idea especially in the beginning of our career when client scarcity is a problem and we are having financial struggles? Michel has never let go of a client. He takes his accountability, in that he he digs deep to find out why they aren’t getting results. He expects clients to be honest and recognize their own behaviour. Also he cautions us with pushing too many changes on people at once. Start with one or two changes. Let some cheating occur and work step by step. 00:10:30 With Michels extensive background, I’m curious if his multidisciplinary approach helps in weathering the storms of change that are inevitably a part of business. His response is that it has certainly helped him to be more flexible in his approach to building his client base. 20:00 Building our fitness business can’t always be smooth. I ask Michel about the transitions that were difficult and what prompted change in the direction of his practice? After experiencing the restrictions of working in a large corporate gym, he knew that he wanted to move toward something that gave him more freedom. He was able to rise to the top of his personal training business in the maritimes after branching off on his own. 21:30 Michel moved to Montreal to be with his girlfriend. This began his efforts to build his business in a new city. 22:30 we recognize the importance of our partners in supporting us in our efforts. We give a big shout out to his girlfriend Veronique Cassey who works in Radio oncology at the Montreal children’s hospital . 26:00 We discuss the challenges of starting over again from scratch. How do we rebuild our network? 28:30 the pain of not earning money at the startup phase of our business. Having faith in our process and having gratitude. 34:00 when we find ourselves doing jobs that test our determination to follow our dream. We can’t always leave the job we would like to leave. We need to transition, respecting that we have responsibilities. 40:00 we discuss the importance of purpose on our journey. Purpose helps to dictate the direction when we come to forks in our path. To find what our purpose can be, we can look to our past and try to recall the things that we loved and could spend endless time doing. Sometimes the hardest moments we went through can reveal what our purpose may be. Learning from our pain. 48:00 coming from a small town and adjusting to the less friendly side of a bigger city. 49:00 final words of weathering change and bringing your most flexible attitude forward. Get in touch with Michel Babin on Facebook.
Opening: Forked podcast welcomes Matt Socholotiuk. He is a truly inspiring man. He’s 30 years old from Brantford Ontario. He moved to Montreal Quebec in 2013 with the intention of starting his fighting career in mixed martial arts. He is presently a personal trainer and boxing coach. He intends to open his own gym in the near future. 00:02:00 I jump right into the question of how Matt is able to reinvent himself so quickly and over come major career obstacles. He’s a guy that just doesn’t stay down. His response is that he feels that having people who support you is a critical element. We also need to be ready to adapt and be flexible to the challenges that we encounter. Allow yourself to evolve and be flexible. 00:03:00 Matt shares his pre Montreal journey with us. His first major life challenge began when he was playing football for the university of Waterloo when he was 21 years old. He was tested positive for steroids and human growth hormone. He was the first Canadian football player to be tested positive for human growth hormone. Following his suspension, was when he came to Montreal. He previously boxed and wrestled in the summer months so his departure from Waterloo was to try his hand at MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) in Montreal. 00:05:00 He shares the background story that led up to his decision to take steroids and growth hormone for enhanced performance. 00:10:00 Matt helps us to understand what motivates him to duplicate success in multiple areas of performance. After his suspension from football, he rose to a high level ranking in the arena of MMA (mixed martial arts). 00:11:00 we inevitably touch on the topic of his tattoos and he tells us what they mean to him. His tattoos are very reflective of his moods. 00:12:30 Crisis is not solved by just reading a quote. It can take us to dark places that can be very difficult to emerge from. 00:13:00 The crisis of lost identity when we depart from something that was very meaningful to us. He is a firm believer that we have to live through the emotional upheaval and experience it. We should never suppress our emotions. 00:15:30 How does Matt stay away from negative thinking? Hard work and being busy is a major key to keeping his mind in a positive place. 00:20:00 we discuss how Matt’s outward image is not an obstacle to his networking. He is able to connect to people rapidly and get past their first visual impression. 00:22:00 how do we move beyond the story of our past and allow a new paradigm to emerge? 00:23:30 we discuss the interview he had when he was suspended from Waterloo. The interview was highly judgemental yet Matt composed himself and maintained composure despite his anger. 00:27:00 we discuss the importance of building a solid reputation. Rebuilding a damaged reputation can be a painful path. Matt discusses how it is critical to owing the mess ups we make and also have people around us who support us. 00:32:30 what ways can we develop ourselves outside of the trendy and more popular norms? 00:33:30 we talk about spirituality and if Matt practices a spiritual life. 00:36:00 final departing words. Matt’s future ambitions and what’s coming up in the next 5 years. He looks forward to opening his own boxing gym and training studio. 00:38:30 final advice to people who are feeling trapped and not knowing where to start. You can connect with Matt on Instagram. @ boxing_trainer_mtl
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