The Victory and The Struggle

The Kitsap CrossFit community wanted to know…and expected to know sooner…how the owners felt about the explosive comments from the CrossFit CEO. They wanted to know where these leaders in the community stood on issues of race and social justice and how those positions aligned (or didn't align) with the stance of the larger organization. […]

Dan and Matt take a deep dive into some of the important distinctions between niceness and kindness. Want the shirt? Check it out here. CALL TO ACTION: DO MORE INTENTIONAL ACTIONS OF KINDNESS

Jeff Cain sits down and shares his passion for literature. From Homer to Shakespeare to more modern classics, Jeff helps us see the enduring lessons and stories to be learned from prominent literary pieces. Work-life balance? Got it. Loyalty to friends versus honor and duty? Got it. Sordid family dynamics? Got it. Struggles and victories? […]

Your baseball team wins the national championship and you rode the bench all season, do you still get a ring? Is that a participation trophy?

We sit down with submariner Andy Wooster to breakdown his near-death experience after a strenuous day at the gym. His undiagnosed heart issues left him unexpectedly in a life-and-death situation. Andy's humble retelling of the events shines a light on all the people involved in helping him stay alive and his own determination to respond […]

Dr. Jon Gary joins the hosts to explore how to wade through all the complicated scientific literature in the health and fitness field. Together, the three of them break down the resources and strategies ANYONE can use to get the most out of the legitimate research out there…and how to avoid the nonsense. CALL TO […]

"Fatigue is an emotion created by our brain to make sure we don't die during exercise" Alex Hutchins

Dan and Matt discuss the differences between empathy and compassion and the importance of each in terms of leadership, relationships, and any other sort of interaction. Is compassion “better” than empathy? Can we have compassion without empathy? Empathy without compassion?

When we put out the call for audience questions we weren't sure what we'd get. Our audience came through with some great questions. How do we manage rest days? Is it possible to minimize the plateau when it comes to personal records? What's the best way to redirect our fitness efforts away form personal ego? […]

Jason Ackerman of Own Your Eating and the Best Hour of Their Day Podcast spends an hour exploring nutrition, adversity, health, and coaching with the Victory and Struggle cohosts. Learn some of Jason key strategies for taking control of your diet and eating from a place of health rather than restriction. Jason also discusses some […]

The hosts share some of the most common misconceptions they face in their respective professional fields, challenging the assumptions and presumptions they've had to deal with. Call to Action: Before you vocalize an opinion, reflect on how much it is based on fact versus presumption, assumption, or myth.

Lee Stadshaug was vocal about how The Victory and The Struggle podcast has helped her move through some significant challenges, so we decided to invite her into the ‘studio' to hear a little more about it. We were blown away by her transformation. She shared the story of how she when from a lifestyle completely […]

We sat down with Ian Landstine and dug into his process for making the life-changing decision to quit his job, sell all his Earthly possessions (including his house), purchase a massive RV, and travel the country with his wife. Dan and Matt discover some of the biggest struggles – they're probably not what you think […]

Seeing Laura Finster crutch into the gym and and workout with a fully immobilized leg was an inspiration for Dan, Matt, and countless others. She shares her victories and struggles through the process of dealing with pain, physical limitations, and the emotional and mental challenges associate with a severe leg injury. Before her leg was […]

The Victory an The Struggle host share their quick take on a program aimed at motivating people t lose weight. Healthy Wage is an online gambling site that allows individuals and teams to place wagers based on their weight loss goals. Dan and Matt discuss the potential dangers (and potential benefits) of the program. While […]

Todd Widman joins the podcast to unpack some of his challenges and successes as a leader. He provides some great distinctions between various forms of leadership, noting that peer-to-peer leadership is very different than leading up or down an organizational hierarchy. Todd also shares his perspective on leading kids, adolescents, and adults – spoiler alert […]

Dan and Matt share some of there favorite resources for cultivating an environment designed for growth. They discuss podcasts, books, and even a few videos. There are innumerable sources of destructive/negative messages and sometimes we need to be a bit more intentional about where we focus our attention. Call to Action: Share. Share. Share all […]

Dan and Matt reflect on the inevitable failure of New Years Resolution (they have data to back up their claim) and the changes we can make to set better goals or reset the goals we've failed at. They discuss the effectiveness of SMART goals, the importance of flexibility, and the whole point of setting goals […]

Matt Swift, owner of CrossFit Brisbane, and 2015 CrossFit Games age-group Champion joins Dan and Matt to explore some of the interpersonal challenges of using “NO” effectively. Matt Swift shares his insights on the recent Row for Reveille event, talks about the commitment required to achieve success at world-class levels and offers his perspective on […]

an and Matt sit down with co-owner of Rocket CrossFit and active advocate for equality and acceptance within the fitness world, Alyssa Royce. She put words to some big ideas that can be difficult to talk about and even harder to implement. She and her team at Rocket CrossFit work to create an emotionally safe atmosphere for ANYONE looking to get active and healthy. From banning weight-based goals and commentary about appearance to eliminating gender terms from their daily vocabulary (no men's bars and women's bars), they're taking active steps to be inclusive and accepting.

he 24 hour rowing challenge that Dan, Amy, and their crew hosted as a fundraiser for Project Reveille was a physical, mental, and emotional journey that provided many opportunities for testing limits, managing internal dialogue, and coming together as a community to accomplish amazing things. Will you be joining us next year???

Nick and Hans Schippers sit down with Dan and Matt to discuss their ongoing efforts to minimize the environmental impact of plastic in our oceans. These two brothers are teaching K-12 students in coastal communities strategies to reduce plastic waste. By giving practical examples of how kids can use AIR (Avoiding, Intercepting, and Redesigning) to combat the overwhelming problem of pollution, they're well on their way to achieving the goal of changing the world. Find out more about the Schippers brothers and their mission at www.schroadtrip.com where you can find out how to support their cause and follow their progress.

Dan and Matt break down a variety of ways we have to combat complacency on the path to success. They discuss strategies for addressing the complacency of others - ways to influence or directly motivate the actions of people they'd like to help. Then the cohosts explore some of the ways their own personal complacency has (and does) get in the way of continued growth.

Episode 17: Special guest Nick Pappas discusses his role in making CrossFit more accessible to students in Portland public schools…and how CrossFit is working to support teachers as they encourage wellness in their students.  Additionally, Nick shares some of his experiences as a coach for a program at CrossFit X-Factor that has made WODs available for […]

Gil Bahnsen shared his journey in preparing mentally, emotionally, and physically for the massive challenge of competing in the Race to Alaska (R2AK).  He's building his own boat and plans to sail it from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska – that's 750 miles of frigid ocean water.  Gil discussed his inspirations, his struggles, and […]

In episode 15, Dan and Matt discuss a couple forms of self-sabotage that they frequently see in the clientele they work with (and in themselves).   Dan focuses in on the bad habit of responding to compliments with negativity, judgment, and/or resistance.  Matt describes the challenges of trying to be supportive when working with a help-rejecting-complainer.  […]

Dan and Matt interview Derek Daley from Legacy Outdoor Adventure and the Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Center.  He shared his passion for using wilderness and adventure therapeutically in the treatment of mental health issues including addiction.  His mission goes beyond treating those with diagnosable problems, Derek advocates for EVERYONE to get off the couch and get outside.  […]

Dan and Matt interview Alanna Imbach, exploring a wide range of topics from her passion for international travel to building a coworking community in her hometown of Poulsbo.  She shares her experiences with humanitarian efforts across the planet – working to help immigrants resettle in Europe and tackling the lack of sanitary water in developing […]

Dan and Matt interview Zach Forrest about his evolution as a person, a manager, and a leader.  Zach provides some interesting perspective about how his military career and time as a Navy SEAL provided some skills that were invaluable and others that made leading civilians more difficult.  We also learn about how Zach built the […]

Dan and Matt explore general strategies for building the body you want, differentiating between cultivating strength, tone, and bulk.  We cover common misconceptions as well as universal components to meeting your goals related to fitness and physique.  It's a great episode for people that have been frustrated by failing their fitness goals. Call to action: […]