POPULARITY
130 episodes with acsm
43 episodes with acsm
22 episodes with acsm
14 episodes with acsm
19 episodes with acsm
11 episodes with acsm
20 episodes with acsm
9 episodes with acsm
4 episodes with acsm
4 episodes with acsm
5 episodes with acsm
4 episodes with acsm
8 episodes with acsm
5 episodes with acsm
2 episodes with acsm
3 episodes with acsm
2 episodes with acsm
3 episodes with acsm
Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why!Shubh Hamirwasia IG: Kaaffi_shubh from Maharashtra India. Transform your career as a personal trainer in India. Become a certified personal trainer with Show Up Fitness CPT recognized globally. Ever wondered how a personal struggle with weight could transform into a thriving fitness career? Meet Shubh, who turned his experience as an overweight teenager into a powerful platform for helping others in India navigate their fitness journeys.Shubh's story begins at 16 when a Les Mills instructor saw potential in him and encouraged him to try teaching classes. What started as a way to improve his own fitness quickly evolved into a passion for helping others. Facing the reality that quality personal trainers were beyond his budget, Shubh took matters into his own hands by pursuing ACSM certification. "How difficult can this be?" he thought – a question that launched him into multiple certifications and eventually, a career training others.The conversation provides fascinating insights into India's unique fitness landscape, where "skinny fat" is more prevalent than obesity. Shubh explains how economic factors and cultural traditions impact protein consumption, creating distinct challenges for fitness professionals. Unlike Western markets where trainers often leave the industry quickly, Shubh notes that in India, personal training attracts people from other careers due to its earning potential – an interesting contrast that shapes the professional environment.What makes Shubh's approach special is his commitment to education and mentorship. "Don't focus on money for the first five years," he advises new trainers. "Surround yourself with the best mentors that you can." This philosophy of prioritizing learning over immediate returns mirrors the approach effective trainers take with clients – focusing on sustainable progress rather than quick fixes. His disciplined lifestyle (including non-negotiable sleep from 9:30-4:30) demonstrates hWant to ask us a question? Email email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showupfitnessinternship/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@showupfitnessinternshipWebsite: https://www.showupfitness.com/Become a Personal Trainer Book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Personal-Trainer-Successful/dp/B08WS992F8Show Up Fitness Internship & CPT: https://online.showupfitness.com/pages/online-show-up?utm_term=show%20up%20fitnessNASM study guide: ...
In this episode of the FIT40 podcast, we dive deep into the most important numbers to focus on to get fit and stay fit for life when it comes to lifestyle management. We cover key health metrics like blood work, cardio, and strength standards that can have a profound impact on your overall wellbeing. Discover practical tips to optimize your cholesterol, blood pressure, A1C, and waist circumference - all essential markers for longevity. Plus, learn science-backed exercise guidelines to improve your cardiac health and build functional strength. This comprehensive guide provides the roadmap to take control of your fitness and wellness at 40 and beyond.FIT40 LINKS:Toned In 20 Workouts: https://fit40-online-coaching.kit.com/1f640492ffBook Your Free Nutrition Assessment: https://calendly.com/coachfitzz/assessmentFIT40 Coaching Info & Application: https://fit40coaching.my.canva.site/applicationFIT40 Family Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fit40familyAFFILIATE LINKS:Try Tonal for 30 Days Risk Free: https://tonal.sjv.io/FIT40Get 10% Off The Genius Protein Shot: https://www.geniusshot.com/?ref=BRYAN_FIT40&transaction_id=10214dd14c839e450a4423af7b1f8eCONNECT WITH ME ONLINEFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bryan.fitzsimmonsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_fitzz/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coach_fitzz?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pcYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@bryan_fit40CITATIONSMile Run Standards – Citations & SourcesBlair SN, et al. (1996).Influences of cardiorespiratory fitness and other precursors on cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in men and women. JAMA.▸ Demonstrates strong correlation between cardiorespiratory fitness and mortality.American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 10th ed.▸ Provides normative values for VO₂ max and field tests like the 1-mile run.Cooper KH (1968).A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake. Correlation between field and treadmill testing. JAMA.▸ Foundational study introducing the Cooper test and correlating running distance/time to aerobic capacity.10-Mile Bike Standards – Citations & SourcesCooper InstituteThe Cooper Test Manual (Bike variant).▸ Adaptation of the original Cooper test for stationary and road bikes.Kodama S, et al. (2009).Cardiorespiratory fitness as a quantitative predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. JAMA.Ainsworth BE, et al. (2011).Compendium of Physical Activities: Classification of energy costs of human physical activities.▸ Supports METs estimation for cycling time trials.British Cycling Time Trial Norms▸ Competitive amateur cycling data used for benchmarking 10-mile efforts.Push-Up Standards – Citations & SourcesYang J, et al. (2019).Association Between Push-up Exercise Capacity and Future Cardiovascular Events Among Active Adult Men. JAMA Network Open.▸ Men completing ≥40 push-ups had dramatically lower cardiovascular event risk.ACSM & NSCA Normative DataACSM's Fitness Assessment ManualNSCA's Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning▸ Provide age- and sex-specific push-up standards.Kraschnewski JL, et al. (2013).Is strength training associated with mortality benefits? Prev Med.Chin-Ups / Inverted Rows – Citations & SourcesRantanen T, et al. (1999).Midlife muscle strength and human longevity up to age 100 years. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci.▸ Strength and functional movement as predictors of longevity.ACSM Guidelines & NSCA Standards▸ Norms for bodyweight strength tasks including pull-ups and rows.Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) & USMC Standards▸ Used to create practical strength thresholds for chin-ups by age/sex.Fagan JM, et al. (2020).Maximal upper-body strength and pull-up performance in physically active adults.▸ Correlates pull-up performance with upper body strength and endurance.Reverse Lunge Standards – Citations & SourcesSchoenfeld BJ, et al. (2016).Resistance training volume enhances muscle hypertrophy. J Strength Cond Res.Cook G. (2010).Movement: Functional Movement Systems.▸ Assesses quality and asymmetry in single-leg patterns like lunges.Kraemer WJ & Ratamess NA. (2004).Fundamentals of resistance training: progression and exercise prescription. Med Sci Sports Exerc.ACSM's Position Stand on Resistance Training for Healthy Adults▸ Confirms efficacy and safety of loaded single-leg exercises for aging resilience.Functionally-relevant studies on fall risk and lower-body strengthHughes VA, et al. (2001). Age-related changes in strength and performance. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bryanfitzsimmon.substack.com
Send us a textRick Richey, a 20-year fitness industry veteran and NASM educator since 2006, shares insider knowledge on personal training certifications and what makes NASM stand out in the industry.• The journey from personal trainer to NASM educator, including turning down a celebrity training tour opportunity• Explanation of NASM's Optimum Performance Training (OPT) model and its progression from stabilization to strength to power• Comparison of major fitness certifications (NASM, ACE, ACSM, NSCA) and their different focuses• Deep dive into the evolution of nutrition guidance in personal training and appropriate scope of practice• The philosophy of client empowerment rather than dependency in trainer-client relationships• The importance of continuous learning and choosing accredited certifications• Announcement of NASM's upcoming Certified Wellness Coach certification• The critical connection between education and practical application in fitnessFind Rick on Instagram @drrickrichey or email him at rickrichey@nasm.org.Support the showLearn More at: www.Redefine-Fitness.com
We are thrilled to welcome Brittany, the newest coach to join our PD Team! Brittany's fitness journey began after having her daughter, when she found herself completely lost on where to start with health and movement. Determined to make a change, she dove headfirst into learning everything she could about fitness.In 2018, Brittany earned her ACSM certification and launched her coaching career at a gym in Greenville, SC, where she built a solid foundation in coaching and client relationships. Since then, she's expanded her expertise with a Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification and has taught at multiple specialty fitness studios including CycleBar, RowHouse, and currently — The Lagree Method in Dublin, OH.Brittany specializes in helping women find freedom with food, build sustainable lifestyles that support their goals, and rediscover comfort in their own skin. We're diving into her personal transformation, her background, and her heart in this episode. If you'd like Brittany to guide you on your fitness journey, click here!As always, it is our goal not only to supply you, the listener, with valuable insights on the topics or questions but also to plant some seeds for further research and thought. Be sure to like and subscribe and leave us a review if you loved this episode!Timestamps:(0:00) Introducing our newest coach: Brittany Brown!(1:48) How Brittany's personal journey with fitness began(6:50) When Brittany knew she wanted to become a coach(9:39) Getting to know Brittany outside of the gym (activities, music, books, & more)(17:09) Brittany's coaching philosophy & types of clients she feels most aligned with(20:35) The most important things Brittany teaches that go beyond just training/nutrition(24:40) Brittany's experience as a PD client & how it helped shape how she coaches now(27:41) What Brittany would say to someone who's on the fence about hiring a coach (& what she wishes someone would have told her)(32:40) What you could expect with Brittany as your coach(34:51) Quick hits(43:12) Wrap-up & how to work with BrittanyInquire to work with Coach Brittany here - https://physiquedevelopment.typeform.com/to/ToP9TYLEConnect with Coach Brittany on IG - https://www.instagram.com/britbrownnHave questions or comments for us? Submit them here - https://forms.gle/AEu5vMKNLDfmc24M7Check out our FREE 4-Week Glute Program - https://bit.ly/podcastglutesAnd keep the gains rolling with 12 MORE weeks of glute growth (use code POD at checkout for $25 off!) - https://train.physiquedevelopment.com/workout-plans/963551Follow us on Instagram:Coach Alex - https://www.instagram.com/alexbush__Coach Sue - https://www.instagram.com/suegainzPhysique Development - https://www.instagram.com/physiquedevelopment_Physique Development Podcast - https://www.instagram.com/physiquedevelopmentpodcastInquire to learn about nutrition-only coaching WITH exercise review - https://bit.ly/optimizeglutesInterested in the Physique Development Training Club App? Join here! - https://physiquedevelopment.appLooking to hire the last coach you'll ever need? Apply here - https://physiquedevelopment.typeform.com/to/ToP9TYLEInterested in competition prep? Apply here - https://physiquedevelopment.typeform.com/to/Ii2UNAFor more videos, articles, and information, head to - https://physiquedevelopment.comIf you would like to support Physique Development and this podcast, please head over to your favorite podcast app and leave us a rating and review! This goes a long way in supporting this podcast and helps us continue to bring high-quality, honest content to you in the form of a podcast. Thank you for listening and we will see you all next time!----Produced by: David Margittai | In Post MediaWebsite: https://www.inpostmedia.comEmail: david@inpostmedia.com© 2025, Physique Development LLC. All rights reserved.
Großer Po, schmale Taille, flacher Bauch – sieht so ein fitter Körper aus? Isa dachte das eine Zeit lang und hat dafür fast täglich trainiert. Dieses Fitness-Bild wurde ihr vor allem auf Social Media vermittelt. Was Fitsein bedeutet – und was nicht.**********Ihr hört: Gesprächspartnerin: Isa, hat lange im Gym auch für die Optik trainiert, jetzt ist sie beim Kickboxen Gesprächspartner: Sebastian Uhrich, Professor für Sportbetriebswirtschaftslehre, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln Gesprächspartner: Ludwig Rappelt, Sportwissenschaftler, Institut für Trainingswissenschaften und Sportinformatik, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln Autor und Host: Przemek Żuk Redaktion: Ivy Nortey, Lara Lorenz, Sarah Brendel, Friederike Seeger Produktion: Hermann Leppich**********Quellen:Wierzejska, R.A. (2021). Dietary Supplements—For Whom? The Current State of Knowledge about the Health Effects of Selected Supplement Use. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(17), 8897.American College of Sports Medicine (2025). ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 12. Ausgabe. Wolters Kluwer. **********Mehr zum Thema bei Deutschlandfunk Nova:Gesund statt exzessiv: Wie wir die passende Fitness-Routine findenGesunde Ernährung: Wie machen wir uns weniger Druck?Neujahrsvorsätze und Sport: Training muss Spaß machen, damit wir dranbleiben**********Den Artikel zum Stück findet ihr hier.**********Ihr könnt uns auch auf diesen Kanälen folgen: TikTok und Instagram .**********Meldet euch!Ihr könnt das Team von Facts & Feelings über Whatsapp erreichen.Uns interessiert: Was beschäftigt euch? Habt ihr ein Thema, über das wir unbedingt in der Sendung und im Podcast sprechen sollen?Schickt uns eine Sprachnachricht oder schreibt uns per 0160-91360852 oder an factsundfeelings@deutschlandradio.de.Wichtig: Wenn ihr diese Nummer speichert und uns eine Nachricht schickt, akzeptiert ihr unsere Regeln zum Datenschutz und bei Whatsapp die Datenschutzrichtlinien von Whatsapp.
Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why!The easy way, textbook certs: NASM/ACE/ISSA.The QUALIFIED WAY: NSCA, ACSM, SUF-CPT.Hands-on learning > specializations.Get a DPT & RD on your team.Master the fundamentals of movement, anatomy, sales, and assessments.Ever wonder why so many certified personal trainers struggle or quit within their first year? The answer lies in a startling disconnect between certification marketing and real-world preparation.Across the fitness landscape, aspiring trainers face a critical choice – pursue the "easiest" certification or invest in truly learning the craft. This episode exposes the uncomfortable truth that the most marketed certifications (NASM, ACE, ISSA) fail to prepare trainers for actual client work, while the certifications respected by physical therapists and movement experts (NSCA, ACSM) remain less popular despite better preparing professionals for success.Drawing from over 20 years of experience and thousands of trainer interactions, I unpack why memorizing textbooks and multiple-choice answers isn't the path to becoming a respected fitness professional. You'll discover why no client will ever ask you to identify an "agonist muscle" or follow NASM's formulaic approach, yet these are what commercial certifications test extensively. Instead, real success comes from mastering movement assessment, developing hands-on skills, and building relationships with other health professionals.For those serious about turning their passion into a sustainable career, this episode offers a reality check and a clear alternative path. The fitness industry doesn't need more certificate holders – it needs qualified, competent trainers who can deliver results and earn their place alongside other health professionals. Whether you're just starting out or feeling frustrated after certification, this frank discussion will help you understand what it really takes to thrive as a personal trainer.Want to ask us a question? Email email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showupfitnessinternship/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@showupfitnessinternshipWebsite: https://www.showupfitness.com/Become a Personal Trainer Book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Personal-Trainer-Successful/dp/B08WS992F8Show Up Fitness Internship & CPT: https://online.showupfitness.com/pages/online-show-up?utm_term=show%20up%20fitnessNASM study guide: ...
Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why!What are the best personal training certifications? How to Become A Successful Personal Trainer Vol 2. Breaks down the top globally recognized personal training certifications.NASM, ISSA, ACE, NSCA, ACSM, NCSF, FFT LEVEL 3 (UK), Canada Fit Pro (Can Fit Pro), SUF CPT, NPTI, Fitness Mentors, Brent Brookbush Institute, NPTA, what's the best personal training certifications for you to become a personal trainer?Navigating the maze of personal training certifications just got easier with our comprehensive "March Madness" style breakdown of the top 16 globally recognized credentials. We pull back the curtain on what makes each certification unique, revealing critical insights that go beyond the marketing hype.The "big four" certifications—NASM, ACE, NSCA-CPT, and ISSA—dominate the industry landscape, but does their recognition truly reflect their quality? We examine how investment firms with deep pockets have positioned certain certifications as the "gold standard" through aggressive marketing rather than superior educational content. A simple Reddit search for "NASM personal trainer hell" might tell you more than their polished website ever will.Most aspiring trainers face a shocking reality: 90% quit within their first year. This isn't primarily due to lack of knowledge about exercise science, but rather gaps in practical skills—assessment capabilities, programming expertise, business acumen, and client management abilities. The certification you choose should prepare you for these real-world challenges, not just help you pass a multiple-choice exam.What truly matters in selecting a certification is alignment with your career goals. Before committing to any program, research where you want to work and what certifications those establishments recognize. The most valuable approach is interviewing trainers at your target gyms rather than relying on opinions from anonymous internet users.The fitness industry isn't saWant to ask us a question? Email email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showupfitnessinternship/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@showupfitnessinternshipWebsite: https://www.showupfitness.com/Become a Personal Trainer Book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Personal-Trainer-Successful/dp/B08WS992F8Show Up Fitness Internship & CPT: https://online.showupfitness.com/pages/online-show-up?utm_term=show%20up%20fitnessNASM study guide: ...
Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why!How to Become A Successful Personal Trainer Vol. 2. NEW RELEASELearn how to make serious money as a personal trainer. It doesn't require working yourself to death. I'm sharing exactly how I make $500 in just two hours and how you can build multiple revenue streams to reach a six-figure income while maintaining work-life balance.Most trainers struggle because they're caught in a devastating mathematical trap: charging $50/session means you'd need 200 sessions monthly to earn $120,000 annually—physically impossible without burnout. After 20 years in the industry, I've learned that sustainability comes from premium pricing. By commanding $200-350 per session (which took time and strategic career development), I can generate $10,000 monthly from just two daily sessions with high-end clients who come through my carefully cultivated network of medical professionals.The secret isn't just charging more—it's creating multiple income streams. Separate your nutrition coaching from training packages ($250/month per client adds up fast). Develop referral partnerships with physical therapists and doctors. Create certification programs, write books, speak at events, and mentor other trainers. Each stream compounds your income while reducing physical training hours. Success requires mastering technical skills (anatomy, programming), people skills (communication, motivation), and business skills (sales, marketing)—all areas where textbook certifications fall drastically short.Ready to transform your training business? Get my book "How to Become a Successful Personal Trainer" to learn what took me decades to figure out. Stop limiting yourself with self-defeating thoughts about what you're worth, and start building the confidence to charge what creates a sustainable, rewarding career. The fitness industry needs qualified professionals who can thrive long-term—will you be one of them?Want to ask us a question? Email email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showupfitnessinternship/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@showupfitnessinternshipWebsite: https://www.showupfitness.com/Become a Personal Trainer Book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Personal-Trainer-Successful/dp/B08WS992F8Show Up Fitness Internship & CPT: https://online.showupfitness.com/pages/online-show-up?utm_term=show%20up%20fitnessNASM study guide: ...
Host Amy Boone Thompson welcomes special guest Kia Williams to the IDEAfit Pro Show to discuss everything you can expect at the 2025 IDEA & ACSM Health & Fitness Summit, taking place March 6-9 in Denver, Colorado. Kia, an integral part of this event's programming, shared insights on what makes this summit unique, the exciting lineup of presenters, networking opportunities, and the hybrid in-person and virtual format.The conversation highlighted the incredible collaboration between IDEA and ACSM, bringing together top fitness professionals, researchers, and industry leaders. Attendees will experience deep networking opportunities in an intimate setting, allowing for meaningful conversations and mentorship.For those unable to attend in person, a virtual track will be available one week later, featuring exclusive pre-recorded sessions covering Fit Pro Focus, Science to Practice, Movement Workshops, and more. Participants will have access to content for up to nine months and can earn CECs.To register for the in-person or virtual event, click here.Connect with IDEA® Health & Fitness Association:FB: @ideafitIG: @ideafitLI: @ideafitX/TW: @ideafitThreads: @ideafitYouTube: @ideafitTikTok: @ideafitIDEA upcoming events:IDEA & ACSM Health & Fitness SummitIDEA World Health & Fitness ConventionEnjoying our content? Become an IDEAfit Plus member and receive our award-winning IDEA Fitness Journal, the gold-standard publication of the fitness industry. We have membership options to meet your needs. Visit IDEAfit for more information.Benefits included (varies by plan):Unlimited CECsDiscounted health and liability insuranceDigital publications focusing on industry trends, nutrition, and behavior changeAccess to 15,000+ fact-based articles from IDEA's editorial teamExclusive deals and discounts from IDEA's trusted partnersClient Newsletter: Monthly hand-curated email for your client listDiscounted IDEA eventsFitPost: Curated content delivered to your social channelsProgram Builder: Create and deliver custom workouts for clients50% OFF Music Licensing with VibesIDEAfit Inspired Service: 800-999-4332IDEA Health & Fitness Association is the world's leading organization of fitness and wellness professionals and has been for more than 42 years. We deliver world-class content and continuing education to fitness professionals, business owners, and allied health professionals via our award-winning publications, conferences, and online courses. Additionally, through IDEA FitnessConnect, we host the largest national industry-wide directory, linking over 275,000 fitness professionals to more than 40 million consumers. Through IDEA professionals in over 80 countries, we Inspire the World to Fitness™!For questions or feedback, reach out to content@ideafit.com. The IDEAfit Pro Show is part of the IDEA Podcast Network. Copyright 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
Physical fitness is all about cardio exercises and weightlifting… right? If you've ever finished a run and then jumped straight into the rest of your day without stretching, only to wake up the next day feeling stiff and with aching muscles, then listen up. Flexibility plays a big role in our lives – even bending down to pick something up off the floor requires flexibility – but it's often ignored and neglected. So, why and how should we stretch?身体健康是关于有氧运动和举重的全部……对吗？ 如果您曾经完成跑步，然后直接跳入剩下的一天而不会伸展，只是醒来第二天会感到僵硬，肌肉酸痛，然后聆听。 灵活性在我们的生活中起着很大的作用 - 即使弯腰从地板上捡起东西也需要灵活性 - 但通常被忽略和忽视。 那么，为什么以及如何伸展？When athletes stretch, it's not just for show, they do it to prevent injury. A review of research called 'Effects of Stretching on Injury Risk Reduction and Balance' highlighted that stretching not only reduces injury risk by improving the flexibility of the muscles, it also improves balance, which reduces the risk of falls and those associated injuries. Stretching can also help maintain good posture by keeping our muscles long and loose, which is especially important if you spend hours hunched over a desk. In the modern world, many of us spend a large proportion of our days sitting, which can lead to chronic pain, particularly in the neck and shoulders. Stretching can alleviate this tension and boost blood circulation.当运动员伸展运动时，这不仅是为了表演，还可以防止受伤。 对称为“拉伸对降低伤害风险和平衡影响的影响”的研究的综述强调，不仅可以通过提高肌肉的灵活性来降低伤害风险，还可以改善平衡，从而降低了跌倒和相关伤害的风险。 伸展运动还可以通过使我们的肌肉长而松动，从而有助于保持良好的姿势，如果您花费数小时弯腰在桌子上，这一点尤其重要。 在现代世界中，我们中的许多人都花了很大一部分时间坐着，这可能导致慢性疼痛，尤其是在脖子和肩膀上。 拉伸可以减轻这种张力并增加血液循环。What's the best way to reap these benefits? While stretching advice varies, the ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal provides guidelines which include stretching the major muscle groups such as the hamstrings and quadriceps at least two or three times per week. A 2017 review of research, published in the Sports Med journal, suggests that dynamic stretches, where you stretch in slow, repeated movements, have greater benefits in a pre-exercise warm-up than static stretches, where you hold a pose. Stretching is better after a quick warm-up because the muscle is more pliable, reducing the risk of muscle strains.获得这些好处的最佳方法是什么？ 尽管伸展建议有所不同，但ACSM的健康与健身杂志提供了指南，其中包括每周至少两次或三次伸展主要的肌肉群，例如腿筋和股四头肌。 2017年对《体育医学杂志》上发表的研究的评论表明，动态延伸（您以缓慢而重复的动作延伸）在运动前的热身中比静态伸展运动具有更大的好处。 快速热身后，伸展运动更好，因为肌肉更加柔韧，从而降低了肌肉菌株的风险。Stretching isn't just for athletes and fitness lovers. "Stretching is also an accessible way to unwind and destress during or after a busy day," says Jessica Matthews, professor of kinesiology and author of 'Stretching to Stay Young'. So why not finish the day relaxing in a child's pose, a spinal twist or a happy baby?伸展运动不仅适合运动员和健身爱好者。 运动机能学教授，'Stretaking tim nough''的作者杰西卡·马修斯（Jessica Matthews）说：“在繁忙的一天或之后，伸展运动也是一种让人的放松和破坏的方法。” 那么，为什么不完成一天的姿势，脊柱转折或快乐的婴儿放松呢？词汇表stretching 伸展运动，拉伸stiff 僵硬的aching 酸痛的injury 受伤，伤病posture 身体姿态hunch over 弯腰驼背chronic pain 慢性疼痛tension 紧绷感blood circulation 血液循环reap the benefits 收获某事带来的好处hamstring 大腿后侧肌群，腘绳肌quadriceps 股四头肌dynamic stretches 动态拉伸static stretches 静态拉伸pliable 柔韧的，柔软的muscle strain 肌肉拉伤unwind 放松，松弛destress 缓解压力child's pose 儿童式（一种瑜伽姿势）spinal twist 扭脊式（一种瑜伽姿势）happy baby 快乐婴儿式（一种瑜伽姿势）
An interview with Katie Feltman, CEO at American College of Sports MedicineAnd so we really created this new vision statement about movement as our rallying cry. And when you actually sat down and forced that to be the lens through which everything passes, it was magic. It was truly magic.Katie FeltmanAmerican College of Sports Medicine rolesDelivering education and scientific content to ACSM audiencesIntersection of physical activity and public healthBuilding community through volunteer serviceACSM vision statementPhysical Activity Alliance partnership Exercise is Medicine past, present and futurehttps://www.movetolivemore.com/https://www.movetolivemore.com/bookhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/move-to-live-more@MovetoLiveMore
I am talking with Sam Christy, she is a registered dietitian, body-neutral personal trainer, and founder of Triple A Wellness in Cleveland, Ohio whose mission is to empower people to live their best lives through movement and balanced nutritional practices. We are talking about training during pregnancy. She shares where she was at with fitness and body image before pregnancy, during first, second and third trimester. Sam talks about how she has modified her workouts as she has gone through pregnancy. She gives tips on what you can do if you are pregnant and wanting to continue working out. We discuss common fears when it comes to exercise while pregnant. You can follow Sam on Instagram @tripleawellnessbysam or on TikTok. You can check out her website www.tripleawellness.com. Running doesn't ruin metabolism… but under-eating does!! Check out this free masterclass for a proven 3-step method to support healthy metabolism so you can find your healthiest weight as a female runner! If you have questions about this episode, DM on Instagram @runnergirldietitian
Jill Coleman started out as a daily fitness and nutrition blog back in 2010, while still working as a full-time personal trainer and group fitness instructor working 70+ hours a week. Armed with an ACSM personal training certification and a Masters degree in Nutrition, Jill also slowly began to take on 1:1 fat loss coaching clients. Fast forward 18 months and JillFit too grew to a 6-figure online fitness brand with 5 fat loss coaches and over 100 virtual clients! Over the next few years, Jill developed her own nutrition philosophy, #Moderation365 to automate consistent and healthy eating habits. Since then JillFit has helped over 10,000 women do the same using this method and now certifies coaches in the method. After investing in her very first business coach in 2012, Jill quit all her in-person training and moved fully online. Followers and other professionals began asking her how I she was doing what she was doing, and as a result, Jill started sharing business tips, tools and strategies, which led to her launched her first business mentorship, Best of You Business. Since then, JillFit has grossed over 6M in revenue and has helped thousands of health, fitness and nutrition professionals start and grow their online businesses. Links: https://jillfit.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillfit Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillFit/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/jillfit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/linmull
Can being "nice" at work actually hold you back? Join Brian and Scott Dunn as they unravel the myths around workplace "niceness," explore the balance between kindness and assertiveness, and reveal how honest communication can earn you respect—and maybe even that long-overdue promotion. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian and Scott dig deep into the question: Do nice guys (or gals) really finish last at work? They discuss the critical balance between being accommodating and assertive, why conflict can be a tool for growth, and how emotional intelligence plays into team dynamics. With stories, tips, and the psychological truths behind professional success, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to navigate workplace interactions while staying true to themselves. References and resources mentioned in the show: Scott Dunn Bill of Assertive Rights Elements of Agile Radical Candor Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Scott Dunn is a Certified Enterprise Coach and Scrum Trainer with over 20 years of experience coaching and training companies like NASA, EMC/Dell Technologies, Yahoo!, Technicolor, and eBay to transition to an agile approach using Scrum. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian (00:00) Welcome in Agile Mentors. We're back and we're here for another episode of the Agile Mentors podcast. I'm with you as always, Brian Milner. And today we have friend of the show, buddy of the show, Scott Dunn is back with us. Welcome in Scott. Scott (00:13) Hey Brian, great to be back as always. Love it. Brian (00:17) Love to have Scott on as always and if you've listened to some of the past episodes with him then you know why. If not, I encourage you to check it out after this episode. We wanted to have Scott on earlier this year just to talk about some things that might be percolating in a few people's heads with the turn of the year and kind of as you start to prepare and look forward and maybe even look back a little bit in things. And particularly deal with an issue around how people show up at work and Scott was saying to me earlier, kind of this phrase about, nice guys finish last? Do they finish first? Do they finish last? Can you be nice? Can you be nice at work and be promoted? Can you be nice at work and move upwards? Or do you have to not be nice? Scott (01:03) you Brian (01:11) in order to do that. So tell me a little bit about kind of the genesis of the idea from you, Scott. What have you been hearing or what's been crossing your path? Scott (01:17) Yeah, and I'm so glad we had a chance to talk about this because it's recent. So the first thing that sparked my thought on this, so granted in the leadership class, we talk about being a balance of accommodative and assertive, and I'll usually refer to a... a document called the Bill of Assertive Rights. And I was reading another book this week and actually it referenced the same thing. I thought, switching fast forward a few days and I'm doing an assessment with a company that's asked for help because they're not, they're struggling with quality, they're struggling with predictability. And I know what the leaders goals are for the efforts. And so now I'm meeting with all the team members to do an actual formal assessment for baseline. Now, and this assessment, you're going to go through, I don't know, 30, 40 questions. So it's not lightweight. It's trying to be tactical, like, Is the team well formed? Is the backlog in good shape? Do you have a roadmap? Are the leaders supporting the change? I mean, whether company level, product level, team level, and we even added some advanced questions. And the fascinating thing is over a course of all these questions, the answer was essentially, we're okay at that, right? If you ask them, are they doing this practice or not, they'd say, somewhat. And it didn't matter if it was the most basic thing at the team level or the most advanced thing at the corporate level, everything was okay. So when you look at the dashboard at the end, in our normal red, yellow, the whole thing was yellow. And so I just paused and said, you know, I've never seen this before. I said, yeah, I joke with them a little bit about that, but I said, you know, my friends kind of think about it. It actually doesn't make sense that you would be okay at the fundamental beginning things and also okay at advanced high level things. So it's usually progressive, right? You get the basics down like the satiric change curve. That's kind of what we're following. So now... And then what came out later in the conversations is that someone said basically, we're afraid to say things that are hard to hear. He used the word judgment. Like we don't want to kind of stand in judgment of others, but essentially saying something that someone's not going to hear, whether it's true or not, because they had nothing green, nothing red. So not doing well. And then the last thing that really got me triggered, you know, really start diving into this is this new year and people are getting this promotions and things going on at some of the companies. And there was a story of this one guy, like, I've worked here eight years and never been promoted. And yet everyone loves this person. Everyone likes this person. And I'm hopping on social media and someone asked that question, literally, like, give me an example of when nice guys finish last. And the guy said the same thing. He said, I am the one everyone goes to for help. I'm always ready to help. I'll do anything anyone needs. Everyone likes me. They all praise me. And I haven't been promoted in like 13 years. So partly for our own careers, partly for, you know, being a change agent, et cetera, I thought it'd be worth, you know, just having to... It's a great conversation topic, Brian (03:51) Yeah, well, I'll confirm part of that, or at least a couple of crossovers there with what you said, because there's an assessment kind of thing that we do at Mountain Good as well called Elements of Agile. And one of the things we learned early on in doing that was you would pull the data from the survey, from actually asking them. But then before we present it back, we always have a coach who kind of does interviews as well, and then manually can shift and adjust things. And one of the things I've learned as being one of those coaches who does that is if there's something that's negative that's said, if there's, you know, we give like a five point scale, you know, five is really great, one is terrible, and you know, what number is it? If it's a little bit over into the negative side, you never get anything that's like all the way over at one, right? Nobody ever comes back to you and says, that's terrible. Scott (04:44) you Brian (04:46) but they will say, that's a three or that's a two. If it's a two, that's severe. That's kind of what I've learned is two is severe, three is bad. And you kind of have to shift those things over one notch to say, people are, their niceness are entering into this and they don't want it to be, they don't want it to look too bad. They don't know how it's gonna reflect on them. They don't know how it's gonna reflect on others. And so they don't want it to look Scott (04:50) Yeah. Okay. Yes. Brian (05:15) too bad, so they tend to like skew it a little bit towards the positive. Yeah. Scott (05:20) Yes, and the thing I think is good from that so one I keep coming back to you know self preservation this world kind of wired for this and someone was mentioning recently It's you know, shouldn't say people are selfish. We should say they have self in the center So if I'm gonna I'm just with you like if I'm gonna give feedback I'm honestly just pass facts or for those listening. I think it's totally fine say well Is it really worth it for me to say something that I'm going to have to end up explaining if a manager figures out that was me that said it because I'm the only one working on that project or whatever, right? In some ways, you're like, no, it's not worth it. I'll just kind of gently say it's not going great. Like you said, it's almost like that bell curve you got shifted over because, the professor's like, there's only, I'll only give out two A's each semester because that's truly exceptional. And so it moves it. It's a little like that. But then when you and I were talking earlier, you mentioned that conflict quadrants. And I thought that was really great because I think that's a clear structure that people could refer to as well. It's kind think about how they have interactions not just at work, but seriously in our other relationships. thought I was looking at like, man, this is so fitting. So I just thought that was a good tool to share as well. Brian (06:18) Yeah, it's interesting to see how that kind of affects people and how that affects their answers and how it affects how they're reporting. And there's a crossover here as well, because I know if you've listened to this podcast for a while, last year I did a talk on conflict management and kind of how to navigate that a little bit from a team lead or a Scrum Master kind of perspective. And it's a very sticky area that I think there's not enough training and there's not enough kind of education in. And one of the kind of interesting things that comes out from that, or came out from that conversation was, well, a couple things. One is that conflict, oftentimes we attempt to avoid it entirely, but that's a big mistake. Conflict is actually necessary for growth and if there's not any conflict then you get the kind of bad situation of we never question each other, we never challenge each other. There's a story about how that was actually something that happened at Chernobyl. A lot of the research kind of pointed to that's actually part of the root cause of why that happened is that they were all experts in their field and so they had such respect for each other that they didn't question each other when something was gonna go wrong. And so they miss this kind of basic tenet of, no, if I see something that's not, doesn't look right, I should speak up. And it may cause conflict, but it's necessary. It's necessary for us to be better. Scott (07:44) Right. Absolutely. And that quadrant that the Thomas Kilman model is so great because, for me, well, two things was one, I love it that they can say, hi, be highly assertive. You can still be highly cooperative. And that's that collaborative environment. So if we're really trying to create solutions, whether that's at work or in our relationships, then you're gonna have to assert, you be assertive and not that I'm gonna raise my voice, but I should share what I think or my opinion or if I disagree. And I think some of that when I was coming back down to it is there's still a tendency for people to feel like I need to be in the goodwill of others, right? So from the, you know, the 10, the bill of assertive rights, the 10 assertive rights, that's one of them. Like I need to be independent of the goodwill of others so I can be honest. I'm not trying to be, we can do this respectfully and winsomely and not be a jerk. But you have to let go of, if I say something I don't like, that would be bad. Or if I say something that makes someone happy, right? And I used to struggle with that. I don't want them to be sad. I don't want them to be upset, right? So now back to that quadrant, I'm not asserting myself and I'm obviously not helping them, so I'm just avoiding. And I'm avoiding the situation. It's the elephant in the room in these meetings. And now everyone's almost like, as a culture, we're kind of in cahoots. We all agree we're not gonna say anything, which makes it even tougher for anyone else not to kind of stand up and do just what you're saying, which I think is absolutely true. Speaking of that, so. Brian (09:07) Yeah, well, and just to clarify, too, I mean, you're talking about the Thomas Killen model. If people aren't familiar with that, basically, it's five different responses that people typically have to conflict in one way, form. When they encounter conflict, it's competing, collaborating, avoiding, compromising, or accommodating. those are kind of the, there are variances between anything like that. There's going to be some gray levels between them. Those are kind of the basic points. And I was telling Scott earlier, one of the things we talk about in our ACSM is when we present this information is that you kind of have to get out of your head the idea that any of these are bad. For example, the competing approach to things, the competing approach says, my relationship with the person is not as important as my stance on whatever this issue is. I cannot budge from my position. And I will jeopardize the relationship if that's what's required. That's a competing approach. And you initially read that and think, that's wrong. Nobody should take that kind of approach to a conflict. And in general, that should be our default kind of approach to conflict. But there are times when that's the right approach. When someone says something that's completely out of bounds, completely out of line, I'm going to take a competing approach. And there are times when people need to Scott (10:08) Mm-hmm. you Okay. Brian (10:30) to be presented with that for their own good. That they kind of recognize, wow, this is so important that he's willing to kind of not have a relationship with me anymore if this continues. And that's important, I think. Yeah. Scott (10:41) Yes. yeah, and I think that those examples of the people that get promoted, someone else had referenced and said essentially, it's you telling the, you know, I won't say the ugly truth, but. The thing that no one else is saying, your ability to say what no one else is saying to someone in leadership or management earns their trust. So at some level, whoever is the leadership whisperer, telling the truth on some of these things, and there was only one slot that's gonna influence and lead us to be promoted into, right? I've gotta know, if I'm wise as a senior exec, I gotta have the wisdom to know that I know lots of people probably just tell me what I wanna hear. I'm looking for the person who tells me maybe what I don't wanna hear. Brian (10:58) Ha Scott (11:24) It does it in nice way again though. From that standpoint, I can see why some of those people get promoted and some don't because you're so nice they actually don't trust you. Because you're not, to your point, I'm not willing to have conflict. I'm not willing to gamble what you might think of me for the sake of the betterment of everyone else. So there's some part where I think it's good. My takeaway looking at some of this is come back around to say, all right, check yourself when you have these conversations, just do that mental pause and say, Are you truly acting independent of what they might think? You know, do you have their best sensors or harder? Are you okay if they might respond a certain way? But it's almost like check that I'm outcome independent. So I'm being straight up and honest with them. Cause in this case, doing this assessment, try to work with the team, like, well, how hard is it to help the team or help anyone else who's actually not being honest about where things are? I don't have anything to work with now, right? Or like, yeah, I got to just take what they say is not great and then slide it down. So I recognize. And honestly, it's actually bad, but for all of us and the change, not just for our careers, but as change leaders anyways, checking that we're comfortable doing that. think growing that comfort, know, comfortability we can do. And I think it's just great for the career. And I see people getting promoted in these opportunities. Absolutely worth it. Brian (12:37) Well, there's one other story I want to share here that kind of is, this is a story from my past, one of the jobs I worked at. There was a project that we worked on that a lot of people probably will identify with this. The managers in the organization had set a deadline for it without talking to the people who actually were going to do it. from the, yeah, right. And from the very start, my developers that, Scott (12:56) No. Brian (13:01) that worked with me there on it were saying, this is impossible. It's not just that this is a little bit off, it's completely impossible. There's no way that we're going to do this. But the managers were like, well, you'll get it done. You'll get it done. And so they went forward and publicized the schedule and went all the way up to the top of the company. And the CEO knew that that was the timeline. And well, the CEO found himself in an elevator with one of my developers at one point. Scott (13:17) Board. Brian (13:30) just to ask him, hey, how's that project going? And my developer kind of sighed a little bit and said, well, you do you want the truth? Do you want the picture that everyone's painting? And he was like, well, obviously, I always want the truth. And so he told him, and he had a phrase that he used there that has stuck with me to this day. And that is, he said, bad news is not like wine. It doesn't get better with age. Scott (13:40) Wow. Yeah. Brian (13:57) And I think that's an important thing to keep in mind is that when there's something wrong, when there's something that's not right, the sooner we can identify it and shed light on it, the faster we can do something about it, the more options we have to do something about it. And the closer it is to when it's due or when we're supposed to have that thing happen or whatever, the less that we can do about it. So I'll even give a shout out. know. I can't imagine he's listening, but. Scott (13:58) Ooh. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Brian (14:25) But that was a guy named Dave Ellet. So Dave, if you're listening, it's still stuck with me to this day. But that's a great phrase. And I think it's really apparent here. mean, being a nice guy, it's nicer, I think, to make sure that people understand the truth than it is to let the deception go on. Scott (14:29) Ha ha. Yeah, so two things on that Brian is one totally agree with you It might be hard to deliver some of this news But if you fast forward how much harder it will be for them when they have no time to make adjustments for the customer or the DNA Right and I'll tell them that right especially the product owner class You do me no favors by giving me like a week or two to tell the customer actually No, tell me now six months out that there might be some concerns, right? That's a lot easier. It's not easy, but man. It gets a lot worse That's one. I love way there's the example does not get better with age. The other thing is I think on a personal level, those who are not maybe saying what should be said or needs to be said or giving people that kind of, you know, honest feedback, you know, would you rather know now or in your performance review that there's a problem to not tell them that is in some ways what I was feeling for me is I'm actually now trying to control the optics I've seen. So it's actually a weird, it can be seen as a weird way of like, I'm just being selfish. So I'm actually not a nice guy. I'm a guy with these covert contracts about I want you to think this of me, so therefore I'm actually telling you the truth as your own coworker or peer about something that's really important you should know about, or my manager. I'm actually making sure that I, you know, take me first and take care of myself, but actually in a very short-term way out of fear versus a good worker would tell the truth and as I'm saying, probably he has more career opportunities by being one of the few people that. is a truth-telling organization like your developer and with the elevator to CEO because think about what CEO thinks of him now as well as what CEO now thinks about all the other one else is saying like, no, we're on track, we're on track, right? Those just probably reversed opinion in his ideas in his head about who he can trust to tell the truth about where things are going in these critical projects. So great example, great example. Brian (16:29) Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I think that gets to kind of the heart of this topic too. mean, you think you're talking about, you know, can you be nice? And if you're nice, is it possible to be recognized and still move ahead? And to me, think there's, this is where it starts to get really deeply psychological because I think you have to question what is your definition of nice? You know? Scott (16:47) Hmm. Brian (16:53) Because I think some people have a misaligned definition of what it means to be nice. I don't think it's nice to allow the deception to go on. I think that's not nice. I think that's something that, you know what I mean? You don't appreciate, like you said, as a product owner, as the leader in the organization, that's not nice to them to let that go on. And we might sit back and say, I'm not going to... Scott (17:14) No. Brian (17:20) I'm not going to raise red flags. I'm not going to be the squeaky wheel. I'm going to be the guy who just gets by because I'm a nice guy. We're using guy, but please understand. It's just a term. It's just a phrase that applies to women as much as it does men. So I'm not saying the gender specific thing here. Please, please forgive us for that. But just that that's kind of the concept behind it is I don't want to make waves. I want to be the nice person in this organization. I want to be seen as nice. Scott (17:40) Yeah. Yeah. Brian (17:45) your definition of nice might need to be readjusted. Scott (17:48) Yeah, huge point. think that kind of those words matter. And I think if someone would look at what they like, re-evaluate what you think is going to get you where you want to go, as well as what you would want from others as a teammate. then, and then for me, what I have to do is I have to backtrack and say, so why did you not say anything in the meeting? There's a time way back when I was working with the manager in the meeting that he was very supportive of what his colleague was sharing and the idea of someone she's presenting it to the other peers and the VP, everyone liked it except for one person who spoke out. because that one person, you know, the VP put the whole thing on hold afterwards. just asked that manager said, I thought you liked her idea. He said, yeah, no, I liked her idea a lot. So when the other person says something, why, why didn't you say something back? Right. And said, you stand up for what you thought was a good idea. What she was saying. But was the same idea of like, don't want to make any waves. But he said later, goes, that was the most important question I had to be asked about. I do need to speak out. I do need to be assertive in these meetings and say what my view is too, not just what they say, go along to get along. Like, and now we're just letting, you know, projects and this should go off track, right? No one's calling it for what it is. Brian (18:52) Ha Right. Yeah. So I think it's possible. Scott (18:57) So I think, yeah, that part. Brian (18:59) Sorry, I was just gonna say, I think it's perfectly possible to be assertive at certain points and take strong stances on certain things, but not compromise your niceness. I don't think that makes you a mean person. It may not make you everyone's favorite person every moment of the day, but it's nicer. People respect people who are honest. Scott (19:25) That's a good word, respect. Right. Right. Yeah. I wish there was a secondary word and we can be friendly in these other things. and I love what you said. Like it may be nice to not tell the, you know, you think it's nice, but people should know those things that they're not hearing. And that part's not nice. I think that aspect of maybe self-preservation to the detriment of others and then re-examining why, why do I feel like I need to do that? You know, for me, that was probably at work as well. Right. Is it, what was one person said? Harm versus hurt. This might hurt them in the moment, but it doesn't harm. So the shot to the dentist, the needle, that does hurt, but it's not harming them. Sugar tastes great, doesn't hurt at all, but it harms you. So kind of maybe reflect back on what does it mean to have your peers, your colleagues, your company's best interest at heart, and then what keeps us from that, right? And what are we looking out for? Are we that risk anyways? Yeah. In any case, I like that tool. I'm glad you brought that up. Brian (20:19) Yeah, I think there's also, I think it's important to say, know, like this with a lot of things, there's a balance. And we probably, know Scott, you probably have had this as well, but I've had a couple of people I've worked with throughout my career who just, they weren't concerned about being the nice person. They were much more of the outspoken and they would say things very bluntly when something was not going. Scott (20:25) Mm-hmm. You Brian (20:43) in a good direction. I think that's where NICE enters the equation, right? NICE is not letting it go, but NICE is being able to cushion a little bit what it is you're saying so that it's not just a slap across the face, but it's more of just maybe we want to reconsider that. Maybe we want to think about that, or have we thought of, or have we considered what the implication might be in this area. That's a much more digestible way of taking in that kind of news than it is to just say, well, that sucks, or that's going to be terrible, or you're going to fail miserably at that. And I've had people I've worked with who that's the kind of way that they respond. Scott (21:14) Yeah, right. Yeah, almost like a judgmental view of that. It comes across and I think some people maybe miss that. I know there's a big, you know, space on emotional IQ or EQ. I think that that's really valid and kind of checking yourself on that. I think some people don't read those. signals or they'll say like, well, someone needs to say it. Well, you didn't have to say it like that though, because we, I think we all want to be effective. So if we're not careful, then you, might be true, but they're not hearing you now. So you're still not effective in what you want to do, which is communicate that concern. So there is some part and that's what I like about radical candor. We do want empathy and we do want to care. So what you're kind of touching on, which I think is really great. If you take it that away, then we're just going to, we could actually make things even worse. So it's not a license. partly I see happen a lot and maybe you've been in these meetings and my friends listening, you know, you probably have too, where something said that you can tell there's a lot more underneath that, like that person's just mad, right? You can just tell bitterness or resentment or something's coming out. And again, other people can read that and it's not helpful. One, probably doesn't help you get your idea across, but two, it's just not helpful for you or to carry that around. So for me, I'm always trying to catch it like, is there emotion underneath this, if so? You gotta deal with that. Like you might need to wait to say this until there's not, you don't feel that emotion coming across. Cause then those things get said like you'd said under the guise of, I'm just trying to be honest with them. But look, that was a lot more that wasn't necessary and there's emotion. We've all sometimes worked at places with people that maybe wrote us the wrong way, or you've been a certain job for a long time and it can kind of bubble out in those meetings. So again, a great opportunity to kind of check and say, Where's my emotional bandwidth as I go and have this conversation? And I think also, what do you want? What do you want from the outcome of these things? Some we can control, some we can't. I might want to raise, but I'm not in control of that. But I'm in control of what time I show up, what I'm reading for work, being ready for meetings. I'm in control of that, and hopefully those things could come. So also, I know it's near the beginning of the year, get opportunity on goals and being clear about what you want. Because I think if we don't have a true north for ourself, it's easy to be what everyone else wants at the workplace. We don't actually have a sense of self anyway. So yeah, sure. I'll do whatever you want for me. And it's not even maybe, you know, maybe helping me move forward as well or maybe I'm sacrificing. So that's good timing for that as well for folks who are into doing goals or you have your, you know, 2025 roadmap in front of you. It might be a personal growth area. think it's good for everyone to take a look at at least. Brian (23:44) Yeah, and I think it's good to we propose this kind of can you get ahead? And so there is kind of the the weird marriage here a little bit of of how leadership plays into this. And, know, there is a view of management or leadership sometimes that is one that is much more authoritarian. And so I've known people who feel like, well, if I'm going to get to that level, then I need to. Scott (23:48) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Brian (24:09) be able to demonstrate that a little bit more. And I think there's a misunderstanding there as well. I don't think that's really what's required or is what's helpful in a leadership kind of position. It's kind of that whole paradigm of, do you feel your job as the leader is to push everyone towards the goal? Or do you feel like the... Scott (24:12) Mm. Brian (24:31) the job is to clear everything out in front of them so that they can easily reach the goal. That's a big difference in management style that I think can be really reflective in whether they're seen as nice or not nice. Scott (24:37) Yeah. Yeah, right. It's funny you say that because I was just hearing this from someone else as well. Like, the amount of leaders out there who don't have clarity on their goals and vision. So to your point, now you made it doubly hard for my people to try to aim themselves towards these goals. You know, of essentially self-organized, self-leadership, work on themselves to get there. It's lot easier if we have the vision, the goals in front of us. That's one thing I like, I was talking to my team earlier today about OKRs can be pushed down or rolled out from the top, of course, because they're the ones with the goals and the vision, but boy, it's an enablement for people then to figure out how to do the things they need to do to get there. And without that, we're rid of a struggle. So... whether I'm showing up as a kind of leader. So now what I'm left with, there's not a vision to motivate and guide my people and support them as a servant leader to get there. Now we're just back down to tasks. And I think those tasks can come down to like authoritarian, I just need you to do this, take out, take care of that problem, fix this, put out that fire. And that's one, you gotta make sure they do it and do it right. Cause it's at that level, there's not a lot of space for creativity and freedom. And we're not building anything big or necessarily. And projects can even kind of break down into that. So I'm glad you're bringing that up on the leadership styles. We don't have to always show up and be domineering. I think I want to be the kind of leader that is more about we than I and you. pulling something together and coaching up, but without the vision guidance, that might be an opportunity. Whatever department people are in, you can always have that conversation. Or even for the people themselves, again, you can always work on that. But those leadership styles, I think, fold in really nicely, say, do we have a vision and goal to catalyze people towards? Or am I just left with, you know, compliance, task type, manager, I just got to make sure people doing the right thing and complete things when I told them they need to all that, like the old school way. I think there's still probably a lot of that. Brian (26:35) Yeah. Yeah. And don't get me wrong, I completely understand from a leader, from a manager perspective, there are some basic kind of things that I think we have responsibility for. If you have an employee, let's say, that's stealing from the company or something, you're not going to just approach that as, hey, well, I'm not going to push them about stealing. I'm just going to try to clear the obstacles from Scott (26:58) Ask them how they feel about the stealing. Brian (27:00) Right, right, right. mean, don't anyone listen to this and think that we're saying that there's not that basic responsibility. I think that that is still part of being that leader and being a manager in some way, or form. I used to have a manager and for a while I sold shirts outside of Phantom of the Opera as part of the merchandise career there for that. And my boss there had this philosophy style of just, hey, you do your job. And, we're friends. We're the time in between, we just hang out and have fun. But if you're not doing your job, then we have to have a conversation. And I think that's kind of the basis there is like, don't, don't put me in that position as the manager. It's not, you know, you're not respectful of me when that's the case. and sometimes that, that, that occurs and you know, sometimes people have to be fired and all those other kinds of things. I get that. but that's, I think you can. You know, I remember one specific person that I had to fire at one point that, you know, it was, I felt after the, the event that it was actually the kindest thing I could have done to that person because they needed that, that to happen to them. Believe me, I know it's not good to get fired. I understand that, but this person had enough going on in their life that they needed that kick to do something else because they were not going into a good place. And, I just think that sometimes that's. Scott (28:03) you Brian (28:16) That's the kindest thing to do. Scott (28:18) my goodness, my first boss that pulled me into his office to say my performance wasn't adequate. He was just, and he, promise you, he probably said it just the way I'm saying it to you. I thought I was gonna die. But it was, I really did. just like, my heart's, you my throat and mouth totally dry. But it was the best thing I did, because I went back and like. Brian (28:27) Yeah. Scott (28:37) Yeah, why the heck am I not getting as much done as everyone else? Because I literally was just like an office clerk typing in stuff and word. There's no real complexity to that. But it was what I would, because then I started paying attention. I never had to get talked to again like that. Thank goodness. But boy, was like you said, kind of thing you could have done. And again, I thought I was going to die. I didn't die. I needed to hear that feedback and then fix it. You mentioned something that also makes you think of what Google's research had found about that you need to know their best teams are ones that include the they know they have dependable team members. So the managers gotta say, look, if there's an issue on someone your team is not delivering when you need them to, then yeah, I need to step and help. That should be to be fixed. Google's saying the team members need that, but they also need meaning and impact, that their work makes a difference. Their work is bigger than it just has. So I think that's that nice combination of, I will step aside and address this assertively until that's not okay. that we got to perform this way. At the same time, I'm casting a vision about how this has impact bigger than just this team and you're part of something bigger than you show up in your code or your test or whatever. So I like that situational leadership that's going across. It's kind of reflected in their research as well. I'm glad you brought up that story. Thank you for management. Brian (29:46) Yeah, so I So I think I think it's uh, you know if I were to try to sum that I just I think You know when I'm asked a question, can you be nice or do nice guys finish last? I I don't think so. I mean, I don't think that you're gonna finish last just because you're being nice Depending on how you define nice You know, you can't you you have to be honest you have to be you know, entering those relationships in a healthy way. But that's not being not nice. That's that's just showing up and and giving your best to the job, I think. And if you do that in a respectful way and in a kind way, I think that makes you a nice person. And I don't think that person necessarily is going to finish last for those reasons. At least that's my opinion. Scott (30:25) Yeah. Well, I like that. And again, on your chart, I like the fact that main thing is be assertive. You have an opinion. Reminds you of the JavaScript, right? Assert. You're just saying it. Just saying it needs to be said. And some people might edit themselves to say, well, who am I? And I remember reading somewhere about, look, you have value in what you say because you exist. It doesn't have to be that you worked there for five years and you've got Brian (30:54) Yeah. Scott (30:57) you've written books, technical books, it could be that you're a thinking human being who is smart and knows stuff and has opinions. That's why we share what we share and not to edit ourselves out of that saying I shouldn't assert myself because of X or Y. anyways, a good conversation for the beginning of the year. And I like what you're rounding out that nice guys don't finish last. Maybe there's another word and maybe also there's a balance for these guys and girls as well. Brian (31:23) Yeah, I agree. Well, Scott, thanks for coming on. I appreciate you making the time and it's always great to have you on the show. Scott (31:30) My pleasure. lot of fun. Thanks, Brian.
Season 5 Episode 3 is here and this episode continues to follow our new structure including the following segments:Throwback Track Faceoff: We will be comparing and contrasting two throwback metalcore songs. This week we dove into Doublespeak by Veil of Maya and Blackroot Forest by The Wise Man's Fear. We discuss lyrics, vocals, instrumentals, song meaning, etc. Coaches Corner: This segment features health and wellness information/tips to help you meet your goals. This week we discuss an article from ACSM that addresses common weight loss myths. Article Link: https://www.acsm.org/all-blog-posts/acsm-blog/acsm-blog/2020/02/13/mythbusting-weight-loss Song of the Week: We select a new metalcore song each week to highlight/share with you all. This week's song of the week is "Colors" by Ghostwave. Exercise of the Week: We select an exercise to highlight, describing the exercise, alternative exercises, muscles targeted, pros & cons, optimal volume, and more. This week we discuss the seated dumbbell overhead shoulder press. Follow us on Instagram @mc_muscle!Follow us on Instagram @mc_muscle!
Join Kay Mayordomo, PT, DPT (@kaym23) as she discusses whether following ACSM exercise recommendations are enough to positively affect osteoporosis. Want to make sure you stay on top of all things geriatrics? Go to https://MMOA.online to check out our Free eBooks, Lectures, & the MMOA Digest!
Dr. Mary Kennedy is a physical activity and nutrition specialist, researcher, author and coach. She is also passionate about coaching people to run marathons. She has served as a technical assistant for the scientific committee responsible for the creation of the 2008 National Physical Activity Guidelines. Additionally, she has served on the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) Exercise is Medicine Education Committee and is currently the Physical Activity Advisor for the American Institute of Cancer Research. In addition to her national level policy work, Mary is a physical activity and nutrition researcher and consultant. The links to the ACSM exercise oncology program directory and the current exercise guidelines are below: Directory: https://www.exerciseismedicine.org/cancer_exercise.php Guidelines: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2019/11000/Exercise_Guidelines_for_Cancer_Survivors_.23.aspx ___________ This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | Better Sleep, Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity Research with Less Hassle --- Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely - Discover ground-breaking Fibion SENS --- Learn more about Fibion Flash - a versatile customizable tool with HRV and accelerometry capability. --- SB and PA measurements, analysis, and feedback made easy. Learn more about Fibion Research. --- Fibion Helix – Ideal for large scale studies. Scalable and affordable with patented precision. --- Fibion G2 – validated data on sitting, standing, activity types, energy expenditure, with participant friendly reports. --- Learn more about Fibion Sleep and Fibion Circadian Rhythm Solutions. --- Fibion Kids - Activity tracking designed for children. --- Explore our Wearables, Experience sampling method (ESM), Sleep, Heart rate variability (HRV), Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity article collections for insights on related articles. --- Refer to our article "Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Measurements" for an exploration of active and sedentary lifestyle assessment methods. --- Learn about actigraphy in our guide: Exploring Actigraphy in Scientific Research: A Comprehensive Guide. --- Gain foundational ESM insights with "Introduction to Experience Sampling Method (ESM)" for a comprehensive overview. --- Explore accelerometer use in health research with our article "Measuring Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior with Accelerometers ". --- For an introduction to the fundamental aspects of HRV, consider revisiting our Ultimate Guide to Heart Rate Variability. --- Follow the podcast on Twitter https://twitter.com/PA_Researcher Follow host Dr Olli Tikkanen on Twitter https://twitter.com/ollitikkanen Follow Fibion on Twitter https://twitter.com/fibion Check our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PA_Researcher
NASM Master Instructor Roundtable: A Show for Personal Trainers
On this episode of the “Master Instructor Roundtable,” hosts, and NASM Master Instructors, Marty Miller, and Wendy Batts, unpack the latest insights shaping the fitness industry—from advancements in wearable technology and virtual training platforms to the growing focus on recovery, mental wellness, and inclusive programming. Join us as we explore the 2025 ACSM Fitness Trends survey and how these trends are redefining training approaches, impacting client success, and creating new opportunities for fitness professionals. Whether you're a seasoned trainer or just starting out, this episode delivers practical tips to help you stay ahead in an ever-evolving industry. This is one conversation you won't want to miss! If you like what you just consumed, leave us a 5-star review, and share this episode with a friend to help grow our NASM health and wellness community! Introducing NASM One, the membership for trainers and coaches. For just $35/mo, get unlimited access to over 300 continuing education courses, 50% off additional certifications and specializations, EDGE Trainer Pro all-in-one coaching app to grow your business, unlimited exam attempts and select waived fees. Stay on top of your game and ahead of the curve as a fitness professional with NASM One. Click here to learn more. https://bit.ly/4ddsgrm
Send us a text if you want to be on the Podcast & explain why!Do you want to become a SUCCESSFUL personal trainer in 2025, start by asking better questions. What if the key to unlocking your full potential as a personal trainer isn't found in a certification but in the questions you ask? Join us as we challenge the conventional wisdom of the fitness industry and explore how trainers can rise above the crowded marketplace of 1.1 million peers in the U.S. We promise you'll gain insights into why competence and confidence outweigh mere certification titles and discover how hands-on experience and mentorship can set the stage for a thriving career.The journey to becoming a successful personal trainer is fraught with challenges, including high dropout rates and burnout. We'll dissect the gaps in current certification processes, drawing thought-provoking comparisons with professions like hairstylists and doctors. New trainers often find themselves overshadowed by influencers, perceived as less valuable despite their training. However, by asking the right questions and seeking quality education, you can bridge this confidence gap. Dive into the specifics of what makes a trainer competent, with insights from physical therapists and gym hiring practices like Shelf Fitness.Success in personal training isn't just about technical knowledge; it's about cultivating the right mindset and skills to navigate the industry's hurdles. We'll discuss how to communicate effectively with clients, adapt to a rapidly changing environment, and build a sustainable career despite low pay and high turnover rates. Learn how to network, continue your education, and diversify your income streams to make a lasting impact in your clients' lives. We also invite you to share your personal training journey with us, helping to elevate the professionalism and accessibility of the fitness industry for everyone involved.Want to ask us a question? Email email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show! Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showupfitnessinternship/?hl=enTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@showupfitnessinternshipWebsite: https://www.showupfitness.com/Become a Personal Trainer Book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Personal-Trainer-Successful/dp/B08WS992F8Show Up Fitness Internship & CPT: https://online.showupfitness.com/pages/online-show-up?utm_term=show%20up%20fitnessNASM study guide: ...
I detta avsnitt av PT-Podden dyker vi ner i ACSM:s senaste trendspaning inom hälsa och fitness. Resultaten från deras årliga undersökning, som samlar data från tusentals forskare och yrkesverksamma, ger värdefulla insikter till beslutsfattare i fitnessbranschen. I 2025 års undersökning fick proffs betygsätta 45 möjliga trender inom sju kategorier, på en skala från 1 (minst trolig trend) till 10 (mest trolig trend). Den största trenden för 2025? Bärbar teknik. Vi går igenom de mest spännande insikterna och vad de kan betyda för framtiden inom träning och hälsa. Häng med! https://www.acsm.org/education-resources/trending-topics-resources/acsm-fitness-trends
What does it take to be an effective Scrum Master? In this episode, Brian Milner and Gary K. Evans, author of The Effective Scrum Master, explore the nuanced role of Scrum Masters, the importance of people skills, and the shift from efficiency to effectiveness. Overview Join Brian Milner as he chats with Agile coach and author Gary K. Evans about the essential qualities of an effective Scrum Master. From fostering self-organizing teams to balancing proactive leadership with people-centered strategies, this conversation unpacks the skills and mindsets needed to thrive in the role. Whether you’re new to Scrum or a seasoned pro, this episode offers fresh perspectives and practical advice for taking your Agile expertise to the next level. References and resources mentioned in the show: Gary K. Evans The Effective Scrum Master: Advancing Your Craft by Gary K Evans Join the Agile Mentors Community Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Certified ScrumMaster® Training and Scrum Certification Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Gary K. Evans is a seasoned Agile Coach and author of The Effective Scrum Master, with over 30 years of experience transforming Fortune 100 and 500 companies through Lean-Agile practices. Known for his expertise in building high-performing teams and training over 15,000 professionals, Gary brings a unique focus on people-centered solutions to complex organizational challenges. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian (00:00) Welcome in Agile Mentors. We are back and it's another episode of the Agile Mentors podcast. We're getting towards the end of the year. I am here with you, as always, Brian Milner. And today I have a very special guest with me, Mr. Gary K. Evans is with us. Welcome in, Gary. Gary (00:17) Thank you, Brian. It's great to be here. Brian (00:19) Very glad to have Gary with us. Gary is an agile coach. He's a lean consultant. He owns his own company called Evanetics, but he is also the author of a newly published book that came out this summer. It's called The Effective Scrum Master. And it really is a comprehensive guide. It's a really interesting read. So I thought we'd have him on to talk to us about. what that means, an effective scrum master. So scrum master is this episode, I think it's gonna be really a special one for you. So Gary, let's start with that question. When you say an effective scrum master, what is an effective scrum master? Gary (00:56) In my experience, I've worked with a lot of Scrum Masters who go through the motions, they understand the events, they focus on how to run these Scrum events. But the teams flounder and they struggle with what should I do next? How do I anticipate things? And the Scrum Masters themselves often get very frustrated. One of the complaints that I hear, especially from early to mid-career Scrum Masters is I have this anxiety. How do I know that my team is operating as efficient, as efficiently and effectively as they can because they focus so much on efficiency. So this idea of effectiveness really is much more important. In fact, John Kern, one of the co-authors of the Agile Manifesto, who wrote the foreword for my book, he focused in on that word effective because we spend so much of our energies trying to be efficient. that we aren't accomplishing what we need to do, which is to build self-organizing, mature teams. And that's really the focus of my book. Brian (02:01) That's an awesome distinction, I think, because I like that a lot. There's a conversation that I will have sometimes in class about how that drive or search for trying to be not effective, sorry, what was the other word that you used? Efficient, sorry, sorry, just slipped my mind, ADHD. But the efficient kind of quotient there I think is... Gary (02:18) Efficient. Brian (02:27) something that in business in the business world today is a highly visible term. It's something that everyone seems to think is needed. But, you know, that really dates back to sort of the assembly line and efficiency experts that would stand behind you with a stop clock and try to get you to do something, you know, point two seconds faster so that it would total up to, you know, more productivity over the course of the day. But that's not the kind of work we do. Gary (02:56) I love the fact that you've mentioned that that was really the Frederick Winslow Taylor scientific management approach. And it was very much based on this idea of efficiency. But I have seen so many teams and as an agile coach, I've had multiple experiences of teams that are very, very efficient at going in the wrong direction entirely. They've lost their focus on true north. They don't understand what it is they're actually supposed to do. They think that the Scrum Guide, 14 pages in the Scrum Guide, is their Bible. And that's all that they need to know. And nothing could be further from the truth. Brian (03:37) Yeah. Yeah. And to me that, you're talking about efficiency versus effectiveness. You know, if we were a company that was trying to create a new drug to cure some disease, you know, I want effective. I don't want efficient. I don't want someone, I don't want to produce a million pills that don't work. I want to produce, you I'd rather produce one that works, you know. Gary (03:59) Exactly. Brian (04:05) And that seems to be kind of something that I think a lot of teams are missing today. Gary (04:09) It does indeed. Brian (04:10) Well, good. I like that distinction. I think that's a good distinction and that's a good place for us to start to think about this role as being kind of more effective. I think that they're sort of, I don't know, I'm kind of curious what your take is on this. Is it a marketing problem? Is it an education problem? Why is there so much confusion, I think, about what a scrum master, what a good scrum master is? Gary (04:41) That's a really deep and broad question. Part of it is that in the beginning, when Scrum was introduced into the community and was just beginning to become known, there were two attributes of Scrum Masters that were repeated again and again and again. That was you became a servant leader for the team and you removed impediments. Brian (04:44) Just a light casual one here. Gary (05:09) Unfortunately, most people stopped at that point. And they didn't realize that this, the Scrum Master role, and I'll admit, I take a very expansive view of the Scrum Master role because I've been doing this since 1993, basically, 1994. And I've learned through making lots and lots of mistakes. And the idea that All we have to do is be a servant. Well, what does that mean to be a servant leader? Nobody ever really defined it. I actually wrote an essay a number of years ago on what it meant to not be a servant leader so that I could understand by contradiction what it was that I should be doing. I called it the top 10 scrum master crimes. And really, a lot of them really had to do with crimes because it's very easy for a scrum master to start to merge into making decisions for the team that the scrum master should not be making. Now, there are times when a scrum master should direct the team, should make decisions for the team if the team is not qualified to make certain decisions because they're just too new. But this idea of being a certain leader There's so much more to that. In my expansive view of the Scrum Master role, it is not a process role first. It's a people role. And to be an effective Scrum Master, you have to be an effective people person. I've worked with so many teams and coached Scrum Masters. Scrum Masters just did not like people. They weren't people persons. And the teams responded accordingly. So. A lot of the coaching that I do with my Scrum Masters is you've got to reach deep. You've got to be able to get into people's lives rather than hold them off, you know. And so a lot of it has to do with that. Brian (07:10) I love that. I wholeheartedly concur with that. I've talked on this podcast a little bit about how it seems like we've lost the focus of that first line of the Agile Manifesto, individuals and interactions over process and tools. And I mentioned when I go to Agile conferences sometimes, I feel like the majority of the talks that I see and hear are process and tools talks rather than know, individuals and interactions talks. And I can't agree more. I think that's really a focus for us as Scrum Masters is the individuals and interactions portion, the people portion. You know, our teams are made up of people and if we're not good with helping understand how people work together, we're kind of really missing the value of what it is we deliver to the teams, I think. Gary (08:04) And Brian, the people are all different. And to have a one size fits all because the scrum guy says do X, and Z. Well, that'll work for some people, but it will not work for others. And it may even build resentment within the team because they feel that they're being treated unfairly. The focus, the theme of my book and the reason I wrote the book. Brian (08:06) Right, exactly. Gary (08:30) is that I had seen so many teams that were floundering under Scrum Masters who really didn't understand their own role. And I came up from my experience, I defined four different categories that helped to elaborate what the Scrum Master should be if they want to be effective. And I labeled those as Sherpa, Shepherd, Sheepdog, and Diagnostician. I couldn't really think of a word. I started with an S for diagnosticians. But I have a strong medical background, so diagnostician really helped because the sherpa is the expert. And to be an effective scrum master, you have to be an expert, not at scrum, but at agile. We really want, I want my scrum masters to be agile masters. And as a coach, I'm constantly pushing them. How are you improving your craft? And what is involved in that craft? So you've got to be an expert. Brian (08:58) Hahaha. Gary (09:26) Now for a new scrum master, that's a contradiction in terms. You can't be an expert if you are just at the beginning of the journey. But there are things that you can do. And I discussed this. In order to from exposure, you can gain experience. And from experience, you can generate expertise. And so that's the first one. If ultimately you need to be a master of Agile. Secondly, a Sherpa and then a... a Sherpa and then a Shepherd, you have to be able to guide the team. And you can't guide somebody if you haven't been through that path before. So this is where the issue of longevity, education, and just exposure and experience with different teams on different projects. This is where the maturity comes and you start to develop a depth of understanding. But then there's the hardest part, the hardest persona of the scrum master is the sheepdog. This is where you are the protector of the team. And so many scrum masters fold in this area because a threat will come either from management or from within the team or somebody outside the team like a product owner. And the scrum master doesn't understand how to protect his or her own team. I'll share a little war story with you that is in the book. I had a product owner who one morning came in and just started ripping through several of my team members. I don't know what happened at that point. I stepped between him and the team and I said, do not take another step forward. I was ready to defend my team physically. It didn't come to that. And later I learned the reason for why he was so upset. But if you're going to be a sheepdog and protect your team, it may require personal sacrifice. It may require professional sacrifice. And this is the area where so many scrum masters, they can't deal with that part because they don't have that confidence. So you've got the Sherpa who's the expert, the shepherd who is the guide. The sheepdog who's the protector and finally the diagnostician who is the healer. Things are going to go awry and you have to have a way of diagnosing what the root cause of the problem is. And this is where the issue of metrics and understanding your team members, building a rapport with your team members that quite often is extremely intimate. I have had team members, I have a series of questions I ask all my team members so that I understand their background and such and also things that I need to be aware of. And I will ask them, do you have any medical issues or other accommodations that we might need to consider for you? This is an issue of respect so that we don't put somebody in an uncomfortable situation. It's a strictly private conversation. I've had people share with me that they have a drug problem. that they're caring for an ailing parent, that they're going through a divorce, all kinds of different issues that come out. And we work out special signals so that if they're having an episode someday, they just give me that signal. And I know that I need to either give them space or give them some special consideration. This is what I mean by the people issue. You've got to get to the point where you allow people's lives to splash onto you and you get wet with their issues. And yet you still have to maintain your autonomy and separation in order to work with the whole team together. The Scrum Master role is extremely complex from my perspective because it involves people, as you say, individuals and their interactions. That's where we have to start. Brian (13:33) I agree. And that's a great call out to say, to talk about there, just the idea that, you these are, these are individuals, not, they're not robots, you know, like they're not AIs yet. These are human beings and they have lives outside of work. They have things that affect them. And if they're going through a divorce, like you said, then you think that might affect their work life? Well, of course it will. Cause they're a human, right? And that's gonna... Gary (13:43) Right. Yes. Brian (13:57) that's going to affect their, their mood that day. That's going to affect, you know, how productive they are. It's going to affect lots of things. And, and, you know, we, we've talked here on the podcast a little bit about making accommodations for people with different, neurodivergent traits like ADHD or, autism or other things like that. And, know, I've always loved the idea of, know, putting people in the best position to be successful, you know, trying to understand what is. unique about them, strengths and weaknesses, so that you can help them to be put in a position that they can shine, right? They can really contribute in their own unique way. And we have to allow for both those strengths and weaknesses. We have to help them with the weaknesses. We have to put them in a position to share their strengths. Gary (14:49) And this leads to a slightly different topic if I can move up a little bit. The scrum master role is an endangered species right now. And there's a reason for that. There's several reasons for that. One of which is what we've been talking about. So many scrum masters are not people persons. And as a result, the teams are not accomplishing what the organization needs. And therefore the scrum master is regarded as overhead. Brian (14:52) Yeah, please, please, please. Hmm, yeah. Gary (15:19) as ineffective. And frankly, that's correct. There are currently, if you look at the Scrum Alliance and Scrum.org, I got the figures from these companies as of the beginning of this year, there are about two million Scrum Masters in the world right They're not all equally effective, Many of them are PSN1s from Scrum.org and there are like 625,000 of those, that type of thing. And then you get 39,000 PSN2s and then you get a thousand or so PSN3s. You can see the drop off there, just huge drop off. And the certification issues lead people to think that they're a Scrum master. Scrum two days or? An online examination doesn't prepare you. It simply doesn't. We've not done a good job of helping people understand through these major certification roles. that this is a starting point, but it's not going to make you effective. And part of it is it's become commoditized. And so we have this issue of lots and lots of scrummasters, most of whom really are not people persons and most of whom don't understand how to deal with a team and build a team rather than just an assembly of individuals. I've taken over teams that have been floundering. I've done this multiple times. And on day one, it's a series of isolated individuals. That's the best that they could have. Because there was no cohesion that could be found. And that always takes me a lot of effort and a lot of time to figure out how can I find cohesion within the team. So it's exhausting. The Scrum Master rule is really exhausting at times. And if someone's not tired at the end of the day, they're not doing it right. Brian (17:22) Yeah, I really am in alignment with what you're saying here. And I've thought about this issue a lot as well, and just the idea that we seem to find ourselves in a situation where, as you said, there's a lot of people who have that certification. And as someone who gives people certifications, I have to take my own part in that. I have to accept my own role and what that plays in it. But I think that you're right to... The training is necessary, right? You have to understand the basics. You have to understand these things before you can do anything else. However, I think that the disservice that the industry has done is to make this proclamation that if someone is certified, that they are ready to lead. And that really is what a Scrum Master is, is a leader in the organization. They're a leader for the Scrum process in the organization. And that's just... Gary (17:55) Yes. Yes. Brian (18:23) not true, right? It just takes more ongoing mentoring and coaching for that person to get to a place where they are really a, you know, what we would call a change agent, right? They are there to, you I always like to use the term infect the organization. They're there to spread and infect this mindset, this philosophy. And if we don't understand it ourselves, if we're not really living that philosophy, If we want our team to be experimentation based and we don't experiment ourself and we don't kind of demonstrate to them what it looks like to experiment, to try things, to fail, to figure out why that didn't work and then apply a new change and say, let's try something different. If we don't demonstrate that, not just tell them, but demonstrate it, they're never going to get that. They're going to stay, as you said, a collection of individuals. And I think that's, to me, that seems to be one of the big issues today with Scrum Masters and with Scrum in general is just that we have, you know, in opposition to your book, ineffective Scrum Masters that aren't really helping people see what Scrum should be. Gary (19:41) Exactly. And you've touched on what I call the four E's, which are exposure, experience, expertise, all built through experimentation. And you use that word to experiment. We need to experiment. But experimentation takes courage. Now that is one of the Scrum values. But when you get a young person or a new Scrum master who's in a role in an organization that may have certain, let's say, unsafe environment and cultural factors. It's very difficult for most people to build that courage to say, we've got to change this and become agents of change. Now, obviously they can, they should be diplomatic. They should be respectful, but they should also be persistent. But being able to see that requires a vision. You have to be able to be able to look around and see where are the big problems that we have? Why should I rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic if the ship is sinking? Brian (20:41) you Gary (20:45) And so having that vision, again, comes from maturity. And the Scrum Masters that I work with, I push them pretty hard because I want them to grow. And every one of them has thanked me. But they didn't thank me during while it was happening. Brian (21:06) Ha Yeah. Yeah, I can understand that. mean, we, you know, one of the analogies I'll use there is like, we, a lot of us that have gone through the process and become a trainer will say it was hell while we went through it, but we look back on it and think that was necessary. We needed to go through that. now that we've gone through it we're on the other side, that was a necessary component of becoming an effective trainer was really seeing it up close and personal and seeing how other people do it. So I completely get that. Gary (21:31) Exactly. Brian (21:36) I want to ask you a question here that I know this is a loaded question. I get this question all the time. But I thought it might be interesting to hear your perspective on this from the effective Scrum Master perspective. People constantly ask, well, what does a Scrum Master do all day? Because when you look at the Scrum Guide and you look at the things that we have as responsibilities, You know, the two main responsibilities we have that are ongoing is to make sure events happen and make sure that the time boxes are kept according to the Scrum Guide. But I try to tell people there's a lot that goes on between those events. It's not just about the events, right? There's a lot that we do. just help our audience. For those people who are listening and don't really have a clear picture of what a Scrum Master does, just give us some samples of what you see as activity that effective Scrum Masters would take on a regular basis. Gary (22:30) What an interesting qualitative question. Brian (22:33) Ha ha ha. Gary (22:34) And I say qualitative on purpose. What does a scrum master do? What a scrum master should do is listen, listen a lot, observe, even if you're remote and virtual. You should be monitoring the Slack channel. You should be having video sessions. You should be attending team discussions whenever you can, but not only to listen, but to be the last one to speak. This is a big issue. So a scrum master often is considered to be doing nothing. But what the scrum master is doing is listening, watching, being the last to speak so that he or she does not taint the conversation among the team members. And it's very easy for that to happen. They should be compiling. team metrics. And I have a very lengthy section in the book on metrics, not only velocity and burn down charts and that type of thing, but a number of other other metrics that I've developed over the years for my own teams. So that the Scrum Master and the team can understand their own performance. They should be training, obviously, as a Sherpa, as an expert. They should be conveying knowledge to the team and they should be teaching every time they're talking to somebody, they should be teaching someone. So it's not a prescribed set of activities in my estimation of what a scrum master does. And I'm going to I'm going to use an analogy here. And it's going to it's going to offend some people because they're going to say, that's a terrible analogy. Well, it's actually a good analogy if you take it as that. The scrum master is like a parent. and needs to nurture the family. How does a parent, what does a parent do? They listen, they observe, they teach, they guide. Sometimes they have to protect, sometimes they have to discipline. And these are all skills that make for a good effective scrum master. So as I say, it's a qualitative issue. But a person who cannot parent well, I'm not saying the team are children, I'm saying they're your family. You need to parent your family. And you need to, as an experienced person who hopefully has a bit more experience and exposure and wisdom. and has better insight into how the world works, even the world of the organization, the Scrum Master has to be able to convey that on a day-to-day, hour-to-hour basis. It is not a part-time job. It is a full-time, exhausting, boots-on-the-ground position that many people just cannot fill. It's sad, but not everybody can do everything. Coming back to the certifications again, job ads always want to know you need to have a CSM or a PSM. You need to have an ACSM, type of thing, advanced certified Scrum Master. These are proxies that companies use because they don't know what a Scrum Master does. They don't know how to qualify it. So they try to quantify it through a certification. And what they have are two million Scrum Masters. who are certified in the world. How many of those are really good? Not all of Brian (26:06) Right. Gary (26:07) So the reason that I dwell on this a little bit, Brian, is my book is there to help people understand. not only the limits, but the expanse of what they should do. And there are limits to what a scrum master should do, but there's also an expansive view of they need to do more than just be a servant leader and remove impediments. Those are important. That's not the end of it. Brian (26:33) I agree. It's kind of interesting because it's a delicate balance, right? Because it's sort of like, you know, there's not a recipe. There's not a clear, hey, here's the 10 things that you do every day. And just when you come in the morning, check this list off and do these things, right? There's not that. But I think that the other mistake that I see some Scrum Masters make sometimes is that they treat it as being a purely reactive kind of position where I'm going to sit back and wait for things. And then when something happens, then I'll, then I'll jump in and I'll do something based on what someone else has done, which I think is a mistake as well. We we're proactive. We were very proactive to, to make an impact and make a difference. And when we recognize something's needed, we, got to jump in there. We got to get in there and do something about it when it's needed. you wouldn't want to have a coach of a team who set back and just, you know, Gary (27:26) It is. Brian (27:30) waited for someone to come to them and ask them for questions. There's no strategy. There's no paying attention to fundamentals. All those things would kind of go out the window if that coach isn't more proactive with his approach towards his or her approach toward the team. Gary (27:45) Exactly. That's a wonderful analogy because I was a soccer coach as well. I'm a soccer player as well. And when I'm coaching youth or that type of thing, I have to teach them how to use this sideline, the touch line in order as a virtual defender. need to have been on the field to know how to teach them how to operate on the field. And if I can't get involved with them, if I just wait until they make a mistake, they're going to make a lot of mistakes. Brian (27:48) Hmm. Gary (28:14) And you've touched on this idea of the passive scrum master. Scrum master is not a passive role. I had a product owner, one of the best that I've ever worked with in my career. We were having a very heated conversation one day, as we often did. And he said, Evans, you're an activist scrum master. And I had never heard that before. And I reflected on it a little bit and I said, Chuck, you're right, I am. But not everybody has that kind of personality. So each scrimmaster has to identify where they may need to improve, maybe some of their assertiveness, some others need to learn how to hold back. It's a learning curve. It's a learning 24-hour-a-day learning session. We're all different. teams are different, the Scrum Masters are different. And as we get more experience and develop more expertise, we handle things differently as a result of that growth. And my role as a coach is to grow the Scrum Masters, to grow the teams. And I've loved it because I love working with people. So you get to work with people, you get to solve problems and you get to see tangible results in people's careers. What more could you ask? Brian (29:36) Right, right. I'm with you. I'm right there with you. I can't agree more. Well, this has been a great discussion. just want to, you know, we mentioned already your book is called The Effective Scrum Master. We're to put links in our show notes to that if people want to go and find that and just, but you can find it on Amazon. Gary K. Evans, The Effective Scrum Master. Gary, how can people find out if they want to get in touch with you or find out more about your work, how can they get in touch with Gary (29:37) Thank Well, appreciate that. I am currently putting up, there is a, we have a website. It's called effectivescrummaster.com. I'll repeat that. Effectivescrummaster.com. There's a sign up link there. It's the page is just under construction at this point. It's live, but people can go up and they can enter an email to be notified when we start to make changes. There'll be some free information there, some resources that they can download. We've got a plan on how we're going to roll this out, but that's just beginning. And so I hope that people will go and visit that and hopefully we'll be able to develop a relationship and they'll be able to reach out to me through that website. Again, effectivescrummaster.com. Brian (30:51) Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Gary, for making the time. It's been a really great conversation and I really appreciate you making the time to come on the show. Gary (30:59) Brian, this has been my privilege and I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
On this episode, we are joined by April O'Connell to discuss exercise dosing for patients who have sustained injuries of their upper extremity. She shares with us factors that should be considered when designing an exercise program for a patient and how to progress them through their plan of care to achieve their goals and beyond. Guest Bio: April O'Connell, OTR/L, CHT, ACSM, is an occupational therapist at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills, CA. She works with a variety of sports teams including the NFL, MLB and NBA and recently spoke at ASHT and AAHT on Rehabilitation of the Overhead Athlete. She is one of the main contributors to the fellowship program for hand and upper extremity rehabilitation as well as the co-director for Cedars Sinai Hand Symposium. April got her start as the Clinical Specialist in the Hand and Upper Extremity Therapy Department at NYU Langone Health. She has lectured to orthopedic surgeons and therapists nationally and internationally in current concepts of orthopedic rehabilitation of the upper extremity. Some of her most recent lectures include being a guest speaker for Dr. Radio on Sirius Satellite on topics for rehabilitation of the hand and upper extremity as well as injuries to the overhead athlete. In addition, she has presented on Flexor Tendon Repair Advancement at AAOS in 2015 and was later asked to speak at the ASSH national conference in 2016 and ASHT in 2017. She recently presented her latest research at the ASHT National Conference on flexor tendon rehabilitation in 2019. April is a founding member of the NYU Langone Golf and Pitching Labs and was the head hand therapist for the first successful bilateral hand and face allotransplantation. She earned her Occupational Therapy degree at Boston University, is a Certified Hand Therapist and is certified by the American Council of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a Clinical Exercise Specialist.
This is the twelfth, and final, episode of our special podcast series exploring the Sept/Oct themed issue of the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal on professionalization and advocacy. In this episode, we'll unlock the secrets to advancing your career in the exercise profession. We guarantee you'll learn how to transform your role by acting as a healthcare professional today, while staying on top of industry developments. Join our host, Michael Stack, as we weave together the collective wisdom of our esteemed guests from this special 12-part series, delivering a powerful call to action for exercise professionals. This is our chance to elevate the exercise profession, impact more lives, and shift from mere wellness to embracing a broader, more inclusive concept of well-being.Our episode ventures into the heart of building trust within the healthcare industry, emphasizing the crucial step of relationship-building with clients, members, and policymakers. Discover strategies for creating a collaborative referral network that combines exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, and coaching, ensuring holistic well-being and improved exercise outcomes. This is not just a reflection but a heartfelt thank you to everyone, including our listeners, the Health & Fitness Journal team, contributing authors, and the ACSM, for being part of this journey. Let's champion the power of movement together and continue advancing the professionalization path.Show Notes Page: https://wellnessparadoxpod.com/episodeacsm12Follow us on social at the links below: https://www.facebook.com/wellnessparadox https://www.instagram.com/wellnessparadox/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellness-paradox-podcast https://twitter.com/WellnessParadox
This is the tenth episode of our special podcast series exploring the Sept/Oct themed issue of the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal on professionalization and advocacy. In this episode, we'll explore the exciting topic of technology, with Dr. Atkinson, the lead author for the article in the themed issue entitled "Emerging Health Technologies: Opportunities and Practical Applications for the Exercise Professional."Dr. Atkinson, a leading behavioral scientist, explores the cutting-edge intersection of the exercise profession and health technologies. Discover how wearables, smart equipment, and digital platforms are transforming the way exercise professionals enhance their services and improve public health outcomes. Dr. Atkinson sheds light on the critical role of embracing these innovations, not as threats to job security, but as powerful tools to better serve clients and bridge the gap between fitness and healthcare.This episode delves into the real-world applications of wearable tech and digital therapeutics in exercise routines. Learn how these tools can provide personalized exercise prescriptions, boost client engagement, and streamline administrative tasks. We also address the potential risks like health anxiety and emphasize the essential role of professional guidance in interpreting data, ensuring a balanced approach that leverages both technology and human expertise.The conversation doesn't stop there. We tackle the broader implications of integrating technology into the fitness industry, from making physical activity prescriptions accessible to a wider population to fostering virtual communities that motivate through gamification. Dr. Atkinson discusses the economic and ethical dimensions of wearable devices and highlights the significance of diversity, equality, and inclusion. Tune in to understand how this technological revolution can bridge the gap between fitness professionals and the medical community, ultimately enhancing public health across the board.Show Notes Page: https://wellnessparadoxpod.com/episodeacsm10Our Guest: Dr. Lou Atkinson, Ph.D., M.Sc., B.Sc.Dr. Atkinson is a behavioral scientist and exercise professional, withmore than 15 years experience conducting applied health research, and over two decades of practice in the health and fitness industry. Her research and practice focus on the understanding and influencing the psychosocial determinants of health behaviors, including developing, delivering and evaluating behavior change interventions to reduce disease burden and address health inequalities. Alongside holding honorary posts at Aston University and the University of Warwick in the UK, Lou is the Head of Research at EXI: Exercise Intelligence. EXI is an FDA Class 1 digital therapeutic that provides personalized exercise programs and behavior change support for people with long-term health conditions. EXI is the global MedTech partner of ACSM's Exercise is Medicine® program.Follow us on social at the links below: https://www.facebook.com/wellnessparadox https://www.instagram.com/wellnessparadox/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellness-paradox-podcast https://twitter.com/WellnessParadox
This is the ninth episode of our special podcast series exploring the Sept/Oct themed issue of the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal on professionalization and advocacy. In this episode, we'll discuss the topic of risk management, with Dr. JoAnn Eickhoff-Shemek, the lead author for the article in the themed issue entitled "Essential Risk Management Competencies for Exercise Professionals." Discover how to elevate your career as an exercise professional by mastering critical risk management skills in our latest episode of the Wellness Paradox podcast. I'm thrilled to sit down with Dr. Eickhoff-Shemek, a veteran with five decades of experience, who shares invaluable insights from her co-authored article on the subject. We uncover the necessity of understanding federal and state laws, adhering to HIPAA standards, and recognizing the boundaries of your professional scope. As the fitness industry increasingly intersects with healthcare, these competencies are more important than ever for maintaining credibility and professionalism.This episode breaks down the often-unseen complexities, from HIPAA compliance to the Federal Trade Commission Act. We dive into the crucial aspects of confidentiality policies, data privacy, and the potential legal consequences of stepping outside your professional boundaries. JoAnn emphasizes the importance of a solid legal education for fitness managers and staff to mitigate liability risks and ensure the responsible handling of sensitive information.Show Notes Page: https://wellnessparadoxpod.com/episodeacsm9Our Guest: Dr. JoAnn Eickhoff-Shemek, Ph.D., FACSM, FAWHPJoAnn M. Eickhoff-Shemek, Professor Emeritus of Exercise Science at the University of South Florida and President of the Fitness Law Academy, is an internationally known author and speaker. For more than 35 years, her teaching and research have focused on fitness safety, legal liability, and risk management issues. Dr. Eickhoff-Shemek is the lead author of a ground-breaking textbook, Law for Fitness Managers and Exercise Professionals, and co-author of another textbook, Rule the Rules of Workplace Wellness Programs, published in 2020 and 2021, respectively. She was invited to be a contributing author for a resource widely used in Australia -- The Australian Fitness Industry Risk Management Manual published in 2014.Dr. Eickhoff-Shemek has authored several book chapters and authored or co-authored over 100 articles in refereed journals. She served as the Legal Columnist for ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal for 10 years (2001-2010) and currently serves as the Fitness Safety columnist for the same journal. Dr. Eickhoff-Shemek is the lead author of a new textbook –Legal Toolkit for Health & Wellness Coaching – to be published in late 2024. Follow us on social at the links below: https://www.facebook.com/wellnessparadox https://www.instagram.com/wellnessparadox/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellness-paradox-podcast https://twitter.com/WellnessParadox
How to Train Smart & Get Stronger as you Age with Fabio Camano Guest: Fabio Comana, M.A., M.S., NASM CPT, CES, PES, CWC, CNC & CSNC; ACE-CPT & HC; ACSM-EP; NSCA CSCS; CISSN Hosted by: Debbie Potts Who is Fabio Comana? Fabio Comana is an accomplished expert in exercise science, nutrition, and fitness education. He holds extensive certifications including NASM, ACE, and ACSM credentials, and serves as a faculty member at San Diego State University, teaching courses in kinesiology and physiology. Fabio has also contributed significantly to fitness education as a subject matter expert for OrangeTheory Fitness and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). He was the original creator of ACE's IFT™ model and developed NASM's latest cardio model. His career spans roles such as Division I collegiate coach, strength-conditioning coach, and president of Genesis Wellness Consulting. In this episode, Fabio shares his wealth of knowledge on how we can improve health, fitness, and vitality as we age, particularly over the age of 40. Key Topics Covered: Fueling and Training Over 40 Strategies to maintain energy and vitality through the aging process. Adjusting training and nutrition to support hormonal changes that come with age. Muscle Development The critical role of strength training for muscle preservation as we age. Techniques to optimize muscle growth and recovery. How GLP-1 influences weight management and metabolic health in older adults. Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training Exploring the benefits of BFR training for muscle growth and strength. Safe methods for incorporating BFR bands into your workout routine. Heart Rate Tips – Intensity vs. Zone 2 The balance between high-intensity workouts and Zone 2 cardio for heart health. Understanding heart rate zones and their impact on fitness outcomes. Fueling – Protein and Carbohydrates Effective protein timing and the importance of hitting the leucine threshold for muscle repair and growth. Why carbohydrates play a role in maintaining energy and performance. Retrain the Way We Think, Rethink the Way We Train Fabio emphasizes a holistic approach to aging, promoting overall well-being and quality of life. He encourages adopting strategies that combine physical training, nutrition, and mental health to live your best life in the second half of your life. Future Topics to Watch For: The importance of rest, recovery, and sleep hygiene. How to improve sleep quality and manage recovery effectively. Addressing chronic stress and developing a growth mindset. Balancing HIIT with Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) for better health outcomes. The hormonal impact of various exercise types on long-term health. Further insights on safe and effective BFR training. Optimizing protein timing for aging muscles. Fabio Comana's Education: MS in Nutrition (Sports Nutrition), San Diego State University MA in Exercise Physiology, San Diego State University BS in Nutrition (Dietetics), San Diego State University Learn more about Fabio Comana: Visit San Diego State University Faculty Page For questions and personalized coaching options, contact Coach Debbie Potts at www.debbiepotts.net. Tune in to this insightful episode for actionable tips on how to age with vitality, maintain strength, and stay active in your 40s and beyond!
No matter how much you walk on the treadmill or how diligently you track calories--even though you have the BEST calorie tracker app--you can't tone up. Stop googling arm slimming exercises, friend, and let me (ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist for over 12 years) tell you exactly what you need to do to tone up. *Spoiler alert: you can do some of these weight loss exercises at home Sign up now for the latest FREE training if you want to finally tone those arms!
Are you struggling to stand out as a health coach in a noisy and competitive space? Do you feel like your message isn't reaching the right people? You're not alone! Today's guest, Linda, has been on every side of the fitness and marketing fence. She worked as a personal trainer for over 15 years (CSCS, ACE, NASM, and ACSM certified), was a fitness freelance writer with bylines in nearly every major fitness magazine, including Oxygen, Men's Fitness, Self, and Shape, and even ran an online fitness course for women over 50. Now, Linda specializes in helping fitness entrepreneurs and B2B marketers capture leads and sales through conversion copywriting. In this episode, Linda shares her expert tips on how to elevate your message and attract the right clients. She dives into the importance of defining your unique value proposition and how to distinguish yourself in a crowded market by truly understanding your audience. Linda also shares actionable strategies on how to craft engaging email marketing campaigns, the art of storytelling in copywriting, and how to niche down effectively. Whether you're a coach or business owner, these insights will help you connect with your audience on a deeper, emotional level, driving more engagement and conversions. Key Takeaways: The importance of niching down and understanding your audience's specific needs. How to position yourself as an expert through targeted messaging. Tips for effective email marketing and making the most of your welcome emails. Crafting emotionally-driven content that resonates with your clients. The role of AI in content creation and how to use it effectively for brainstorming. Be sure to check out Linda's website The Copy Workx and her podcast for more marketing and copywriting tips! Download this fantastic resource to kickstart your funnel and attract more clients: https://yourhealthcoachbiz.com/dfy-5-clean-eating-hacks-list-builder-email-marketing-kit Sign up for the free 5 day Live event here: https://yourhealthcoachbiz.com/get-consistent-clients-and-cash-a-5-day-live-event/
This is the fifth episode of our special podcast series exploring the Sept/Oct themed issue of the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal on professionalization and advocacy. In this episode, we'll explore the important topic of education and credentialing, with Dr. Ben Thompson, the lead author for the article in the themed issue entitled "The Role of Programmatic Accreditation, Certification, and Career Advancement." Ben has extensive experience in academic accreditation and credentialing in the exercise profession. His journey through academia and his impactful work with the ACSM and CREP provide a rich backdrop to our discussion on how accreditation and certification can bolster the credibility of exercise professionals with healthcare providers and the public.We delve into programmatic accreditation within academic institutions, focusing specifically on kinesiology and exercise science programs. Ben demystifies the process universities must undergo to achieve programmatic accreditation and highlights the differences between accredited certifications versus less rigorous alternatives. We also tackle the ongoing debate between certification and licensure, considering their respective roles in fostering trust within the healthcare industry. Tune in for invaluable insights and resources that will guide you through the professional standards and career advancement opportunities in the exercise profession.Show Notes Page: https://wellnessparadoxpod.com/episodeacsm5Our Guest: Dr. Ben Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, ACSM-EP Ben is a professor and program director of a CAAHEP accredited Exercise Science program at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He currently serves as the chair of the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences (CoAES) and is an advisory board member to the Coalition for the Registration of Exercise Professionals (CREP). He has served as the Chair for the ACSM Committee on Certification and Registry Boards for the Exercise Physiologist and President of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of ACSM. He is dedicated to preparing his students to be future exercise professionals and continues to advocate for the profession. Follow us on social at the links below: https://www.facebook.com/wellnessparadox https://www.instagram.com/wellnessparadox/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellness-paradox-podcast https://twitter.com/WellnessParadox
Send us a textDr. Sarah Zaldivar is a returning guest on our show! Be sure to check out his first appearance on episode 311 of Boundless Body Radio!Dr. Sarah Zaldivar has a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition from the University of Miami. She had previously completed her Bachelors's and Masters's degrees in Nutrition and Dietitics in addition to a hospital internship before passing the board examination to become a licensed dietitian. She has also previously taught nutrition courses for several years at the University of Miami, DeVry University, and Miami Dade College. She is a certified personal trainer and a certified Exercise Physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine, for whom she taught workshops training students to sit for the ACSM's personal training certification. She is currently fully focused on content creation as a YouTuber helping others find optimal health through a carnivore diet, mindset shifts, exercise, and dance! Find Dr. Saldivar at-https://www.drsarahzaldivar.com/YT- @Dr. Sarah ZaldivarIG- @dr.sarah.zaldivarFind Boundless Body at- myboundlessbody.com Book a session with us here!
This is the third episode of our special podcast series exploring the Sept/Oct themed issue of the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal on professionalization and advocacy. In this episode, we'll explore registration of exercise professionals, with Dr. Brian Biagioli, the lead author for the article in the themed issue entitled "Harmonizing Health and Fitness with Healthcare Through the U.S. Registry of Exercise Professionals." In this episode you'll gain crucial insights into the harmonization of health, fitness, and healthcare, all through the innovative framework of the Coalition for the Registry of Exercise Professionals. Brian explores the necessity of establishing minimal competencies for exercise professionals to maintain high standards and ensure ongoing education.This episode tackles regulatory oversight in the exercise profession, the pressing need for qualified exercise professionals, and an alternative approach to state licensure through a national registry.Witness the transformative potential of a national registry for exercise professionals. Discover how this system benefits employers by enabling real-time verification of professional qualifications and maintaining ongoing educational standards. Brian emphasizes the importance of collaboration among leading organizations like ACE, NSCA, and ACSM to enhance the industry's credibility and efficiency. Engage with us as we explore the necessity of a unified framework, drawing lessons from international examples, and highlight the collective effort needed for industry advancement. Join the conversation and contribute to the evolution of the fitness profession.Show Notes Page: https://wellnessparadoxpod.com/episodeacsm3Our Guest: Dr. Brian Biagioli, EdD.Dr. Biagioli currently serves as a Graduate Program Director for Applied Physiology in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Science at the University of Miami. He holds positions on several boards related to standard setting, education accreditation and population engagement in physical activity, including the Committee on Accreditation for Exercise Science, Coalition for Registration of Exercise Professionals (Vice-President), the International Confederation of Registers for Exercise Professionals (Past-Chair), and Board for Certification for the National Council on Strength and Fitness.Dr. Biagioli has authored four college textbooks related to physical activity, health, nutrition and performance. Additionally, he presents and collaborates both nationally and internationally with thought-leaders on common themes affecting public health and physical activity engagement.Follow us on social at the links below: https://www.facebook.com/wellnessparadox https://www.instagram.com/wellnessparadox/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellness-paradox-podcast https://twitter.com/WellnessParadox
Dr. Pate is a Professor in the Department of Exercise Science in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He has held several administrative positions including Chair for the Department of Exercise Science, Associate Dean for Research at the Arnold School of Public Health, and Vice Provost for Health Sciences. Dr. Pate is an exercise physiologist with interests in physical activity and physical fitness in children and the health implications of physical activity. His research has been supported by NIH, CDC, the American Heart Association, and several private foundations and corporations. He coordinated the effort that led to the development of the recommendation on Physical Activity and Public Health of the CDC and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) (1995). He served on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, and an Institute of Medicine panel that developed guidelines on prevention of childhood obesity. He currently serves as Chair of the National Physical Activity Plan Alliance. In 2012, he received the Honor Award from the ACSM. --- This podcast episode is sponsored by Fibion Inc. | The New Gold Standard for Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity Monitoring Learn more about Fibion: https://web.fibion.com/research/ --- Collect, store and manage SB and PA data easily and remotely - Discover new Fibion SENS Motion: https://web.fibion.com/sens/
Dr Glenn McConell chats with Professor Paul D. Thompson who is Chief of Cardiology, Emeritus at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT and Professor of Medicine, Emeritus at the University of Connecticut. He has published over 500 peer reviewed journal articles, was a past President of the American College of sports medicine (ACSM) and was a impressively fast marathon runner. This is the third of a series of podcast episodes on sport cardiology (See Professor Benjamin Levine and Associate Professor Andre La Gerche's episodes). We covered a lot of ground. There is a greater prevalence of atrial fibrillation in athletes (is it due to larger hearts?). We discussed possible reasons why coronary artery calcium/calcification is higher in athletes. He recommends 8000 steps done vigorously per day. Exercise is very important for your health. What exercise to do depends on your goals and health status. See time stamps further much more. We discuss his free substack called 500 rules of cardiology.0:00. Introduction2:40. Previous IE podcast episodes on sports cardiology5:30. Worked with ex physiol legend David Costill8:00. Ex physiol legend Bengt Saltin9:00. More than 500 publications, importance of collaboration10:45. Can exercise have negative effects on the heart?13:00. More atrial fibrillation in athletes (due to larger hearts?)20:30. Genetics and exercise25:15. Was excellent marathoner27:30. Exercise and right ventricle “fatigue”32:00. Genetics, exercise and longevity34:10. Cut off points/prevalence of increased risk of atrial fibrillation36:26. Atrial fibrillation, blood thinners and strokes39:30. Daily aspirin and heart risk42:42. Why coronary artery calcium/calcification (CAC) higher in athletes?48:40. Sex differences51:03. Less heart beats per day in endurance athletes53:40. Athletes, higher CAC and cardiovascular events56:15. Exercise reduces cardiovascular events58:30. Almost never restricts exercise in patients1:00:20. Rationale to train hard1:02:30. Most bang for your buck if less fit to start with1:05:30. Cadence and turbulence in artery1:09:30. Better athletes have more heart issues1:11:40. Exercise intensity and coronary calcification1:13:55. Walking and the heart1:18:00. Fit handle operations/illnesses better1:20:17. Statins and muscle pain /cholesterol1:24:15. Medications vs lifestyle in diabetes1:26:32. Metformin and exercise adaptations1:27:15. Sudden death during exercise1:29:25. Coronary narrowing and heart attacks1:31:45. Best athletes have larger aortas1:35:20. Intermittent fasting /ketosis1:38:45. Exercise intensity and heart adaptations1:39:40. Pay attention to symptoms1:41:55. Broke his hip in a bike accident, cycles now1:43:25. Exercise training early in life /epigenetics1:47:05. Drugs and exercise performance1:49:20. Environmental factors: eg walking to school1:51:52. Cardiac sex differences re exercise1:54:05. Wise advice1:58:45. Be mindful of the media's take on exercise2:00:25. Takeaway messages2:02:12. His free substack 500 rules of cardiology2:02:59. Outro Inside Exercise brings to you the who's who of research in exercise metabolism, exercise physiology and exercise's effects on health. With scientific rigor, these researchers discuss popular exercise topics while providing practical strategies for all.The interviewer, Emeritus Professor Glenn McConell, has an international research profile following 30 years of Exercise Metabolism research experience while at The University of Melbourne, Ball State University, Monash University, the University of Copenhagen and Victoria University.He has published over 120 peer reviewed journal articles and recently edited an Exercise Metabolism eBook written by world experts on 17 different topics (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-94305-9).Connect with Inside Exercise and Glenn McConell at:Twitter: @Inside_exercise and @GlennMcConell1Instagram: insideexerciseFacebook: Glenn McConellLinkedIn: Glenn McConell https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-mcconell-83475460ResearchGate: Glenn McConellEmail: glenn.mcconell@gmail.comSubscribe to Inside exercise:Spotify: shorturl.at/tyGHLApple Podcasts: shorturl.at/oFQRUYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@insideexerciseAnchor: https://anchor.fm/insideexerciseGoogle Podcasts: shorturl.at/bfhHIAnchor: https://anchor.fm/insideexercisePodcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4025218Not medical advice
Explore the hidden barriers to successful Scrum adoption as Brian Milner and Lucy O'Keefe dive into organizational dysfunctions and cultural impediments in this insightful episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian Milner sits down with Lucy O’Keefe to unpack the organizational dysfunctions highlighted in their talk at the Scrum Gathering. They delve into how culture can significantly hinder Scrum adoption and discuss other common impediments like resistance to change, command and control leadership, and siloed teams. Emphasizing the importance of transparency, inspection, and adaptation, Brian and Lucy offer actionable insights to help organizations overcome these challenges. Listeners will also learn why leadership understanding and stakeholder participation are crucial for successful Agile adoption and the necessity of training in Agile values and principles for true organizational change. References and resources mentioned in the show: Lucy O’Keefe Dart Frog Consulting Path to CTC - Monthly Cohorts #109 Leadership and Culture in DevOps with Claire Clark Agile for Leaders Join the Agile Mentors Community Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Lucy O'Keefe has over 28 years of IT experience and has worn multiple hats in the Agile world - developer, Product Owner, Scrum Master, and now, Certified Scrum Trainer® (CST) where she uses her experience to ensure each student has a great training experience. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian (00:00) Welcome in Agile Mentors. We're back for another episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast. I'm with you as always, Brian Milner, and we have a favorite back with us today. We have Ms. Lucy O 'Keefe with us. Welcome in Lucy. Lucy O'Keefe (00:12) Thank you so much, Brian. Happy to be here again. Brian (00:14) Very happy to have Lucy back with us. Lucy and I saw each other recently. Actually, I think it was the first time we saw each other in person, right? Yeah. We finally saw each other in person at the Scrum Gathering that took place recently in New Orleans. And I had the pleasure of getting to see Lucy's talk that she had there at the Scrum Gathering. And... Lucy O'Keefe (00:22) It was the first time, yep. Finally. Brian (00:41) She gave a talk with Joe Miller called, Scrum Unmasked, Unveiling the Dysfunctions Within Our Organizations. And I thought it would be a good opportunity to bring Lucy back and talk a little bit about this topic, because this is an important topic. And it was a packed room, it was full of people that wanted to know about this as well. So I thought it'd be a good chance for us to share this with the audience. But to start this, actually, before I even begin, I get ahead of myself. myself here a little bit. For those who maybe haven't heard Lucy on the podcast before, Lucy is a CST. She has a CTC. Her company is called Dart Frog Consulting. And she also has started recently this mentoring program with a new smally that is kind of a really interesting concept. It's a CTC mentoring cohort. So if that's something you're interested in, We'll put links into our show notes that you can get in contact with her about that. But if you're interested in pursuing certified team coach certification with the Scrum Alliance, that's a really great way to do that. You get a group of people around it and kind of go on that journey together. But let's talk about this topic. And I thought a good way to start was actually to be a little bit meta about this. I want to go behind the scenes a little bit. and think about where this topic came from, what's the genesis of where this came from and how you and Joe hooked up on this. So give us a little bit of the backstory of where this idea came from. Lucy O'Keefe (02:20) So to start, Joe and I have worked together. We worked at a consulting firm together. And funny enough, we actually were both speakers at a virtual conference a few years ago. He was on the panel and I was an actual speaker, but we never met. Back then we met actually when we started working in the same consulting firm. And of course I left the consulting firm a few years ago to go independent, but we just kept in touch and we always wanted to do something together. so when, when I was trying to figure out topics for the scrum gathering in New Orleans, I reached out to him and I asked if he would want to do a talk with me. A lot of times it's much easier to do it with somebody else. And I thought it would be fun because he and I see eye to eye on a lot of stuff. And I think we, we complement each other pretty well. But when we were talking about what topics we'd want to talk about, I kind of always go back to the things that I've experienced when I've been in organizations. And I think, I think a lot of us have experienced kind of something, something similar where people are going to say, scrum just doesn't work for us. Right. I actually, it was actually one of my first blogs that I wrote probably six, seven years ago was about that, about people saying, it just doesn't work for us. There, you know, it's not something that we can do. So I kind of got this idea that this is what we should be talking about. And I always go back to. Ken Trebers quote, and I said this during the talk, you may recall, you know, scrum is like your mother -in -law, it points out all your faults. So this idea that scrum is holding up this mirror, you know, to the organization is something that I always talk about. And I think it's important for scrum masters and others in organizations to understand that, no, it's not scrum that's the issue. It's that we have all this stuff that's not, going well in our organizations and we're just putting Scrum on top of it without fixing the issues, right? So we're trying to put a band -aid on what's going on in our organization instead of looking at the root cause. So I just thought that that would be a great topic to talk about. Brian (04:27) I love that. And I think that's a great way to look at it because you're right. It's not something that's going to fix everything, but it does make it very revealing. I remember the phrase I've always heard people use is it's not a silver bullet, it's a silver mirror. You know, like it's going to reflect back very honestly to you what's going on. Awesome. Well, that's that. Thank you for the backstory. I really appreciate that because I know a lot of people, you know, if you're listening to this, you may be considering, you know, do I want to submit and try to speak at a conference? So. Lucy O'Keefe (04:41) Yep. Brian (04:57) just to give a little background to where those kind of ideas come from. I thought that would be interesting little sideline there. So let's get into our topic. Let's talk about some of these dysfunctions because I know the main point of this was talking about organizational dysfunctions, kind of some common problem. So hit us up. Give us a few of these big organizational dysfunctions that you guys talked about. Lucy O'Keefe (05:22) So I think the main one and one that's probably going to resonate with a lot of people is culture. For me, culture is always the biggest issue. People are the biggest issue, right? You know, as you know, you probably remember this, right? In the previous Scrum guide, it would say, Scrum is simple to understand, but difficult to master, right? Or difficult to implement because it involves people. So culture is the biggest issue and culture encompasses... quite a few things, right? It could be resistance to change within an organization. It could be a lack of empowerment. It could be command and control, which I'm sure you've seen in plenty of organizations. I've seen plenty of organizations, even though we know that we are hiring the best people, a lot of leaders or managers actually I'll call them, you know, still want to be in control, still want to be the people telling people what to do. And it's very hard to go to... to a way of working where it's like, okay, I need to remove myself from the equation and trust that these people are gonna do what they should be doing. So I think culture encompasses a lot of the other things that we talk about when we're talking about organizational impediments. Another thing is organizational structure. Are we highly hierarchical? Are we a matrixed organization? Do we still have these silo teams, right? That work on just specific skills? And I'm sure you've seen this. I'm sure you've worked in waterfall just like I have in the past, right? You have your business analysts on one side. You have your designers on another side and then your developers and then your testers, right? And they're all reporting into a business analyst or tester or developer or anything like that. So there is no cohesive team that has one. focus or one objective. You know, we're matric, you know, getting these people out of that matrix and putting them into a team. But they're all just interested in their own thing, right? It's a very siloed way of working. So it's very hard to make that transition into, okay, we are a product team and we work together. And we have to be dedicated and stable. Because we're not used to seeing that in a lot of organizations, people are not dedicated to teams. And we're talking about waterfall. I have barely seen any of that. I used to have a team where, and there was already a scrum team, but we had three BAs on the team and they were each 33%. And that's something that is very normal. And even when I'm teaching my classes and I'm sure you have the same questions or comments, a lot of people are like, well, this is very hard for us because we have John Doe here who, you know, he's in five different teams. How is he going to go to all these events? So that's definitely another organizational impediment, which for me kind of goes back to culture as well. Right? So those things are big things. Leadership not understanding. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, no, go ahead. Brian (08:10) Yes. Yeah. I was thinking, I was thinking, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but I was just, I was thinking the same thing that when you said that, that just, yeah, it is very, the hierarchy of the organization is very cultural. And if you, you know, if we're, we're trying to empower teams and instill in them this idea that, Hey, you need to, in order to move fast, you've got to have autonomy and you've got to have the ability to go and make decisions. that's, that's very. much ingrained in how we structure our organization. If I have to get approval for everything I do, that's going to run counter to what we're trying to do in a Scrum environment. So I love that you made that connection. I absolutely agree with you. It's a very cultural thing. Lucy O'Keefe (08:59) It is, it is. Yeah. And as I said before, I think a lot of the impediments we see go back to culture, leadership, understanding leadership participation, a lot of organizations when they're thinking about agile, they're thinking about scrum. It's like, okay, the teams need to do that. All right. Let's, let's start in IT and our IT teams are going to start doing scrum and who cares about the rest of the organization. We're going to keep thinking the way that, that we've always been thinking. We're going to keep budgeting the way we've always budgeted. And then we have. We have a lot more resistance, a lot more conflict because we have a team that's trying to work in a certain way. And then you have stakeholders and leadership that are expecting things to be the way that they always were. So stakeholder participation, for example, you know, a lot of stakeholders are going to be like, well, I already told you what I want. Why are you coming to me every two weeks or, you know, however long our sprints are, you know, for to get feedback. You know what I want. I shouldn't have to talk to you about it. Right. So there's that lack of understanding of what's in it for them. So back to culture again, right, understanding that this is a whole cultural shift. It's not just a team shift. So leadership needs to understand that. And of course, as you know, you know, we have, you know, certified agile leadership programs that I'm trying not trying to do a plug here for those classes. I don't even teach them. But. Brian (10:03) Yeah. Ha ha ha. Lucy O'Keefe (10:22) it's so important that leadership understands what it means to be an agile organization and what it means to lead in an agile organization. And I think when they do that, when they're able to get that understanding, it's going to make it a lot easier for everybody to succeed. So once again, that is another big impediment that I've seen is the lack of leadership and stakeholder understanding. Brian (10:46) Yeah, absolutely agree. I mean, it's almost like the concept seems to be more, like you said, we'll start from the team and build up when really it should be more of a from a top down or even not even kind of whole, right. Right, it's kind of, it's a whole organization thing. And if we try to compartmentalize it and say, no, we're just gonna do this group. Lucy O'Keefe (10:57) up and down. Or even from both extremes and meet in the middle. Right? Yeah. Brian (11:13) then we're already kind of setting ourselves up to fail a little bit because I can't change the culture of just one segment of my organization. If I do that and they have a different culture than the rest of the organization, then we have cultures at odds with each other and they're set to fail. The more dominant one's gonna overtake the lesser one, which is usually gonna be the scrum side of things. So yeah, I completely agree. Yeah, yeah, frustration. Lucy O'Keefe (11:37) Exactly. Yeah. And it causes a lot of frustration. Yeah. It causes a lot of frustration for the team. Right. So I was actually at a, I was contracting at an agricultural manufacturing company. I may have brought this up before, but like the, the stakeholders didn't understand why they had to come to sprint and review, why, why they had to talk to the product owner instead of just talking to the engineers themselves. And it wasn't until I had. the lunch and learn with the stakeholders and help them understand what's in it for them because that's what's so important. How am I going to, how is it going to improve things for me if I abide by what you're trying to do? It wasn't until we did that, that they were like, I understand now why I need to talk to the product owner. I understand now why I shouldn't be dealing with the developers or the engineers themselves. I understand now why my feedback's needed. Yeah, it's great that now I have a say in the process. I have a say in the outcome. So it's not like people are trying to just be difficult. They just don't know any better, which brings us to one of the other organizational impediments, which is lack of training and understanding. Cause we can't just train the team. We have to, yeah, I mean, we don't have to train everyone in, you know, a CSM or anything like that. That's, that's not it. Right. But they need to understand the basics of how, how agile works. What are the values? What are the principles? What, what are the benefits of working in this manner? Right. It's, it's not about doing the thing, but it's how is this going to impact who is and how, how are things going to be better after you start working this way? Brian (12:52) Yeah. I've had a lot of conversations about this in the CSM class of just talking to different people and saying, you look at these agile manifesto values and principles and if we can't get an alignment on these things, right? If we can't look at these things and say, yeah, I agree. My philosophy is one of that's responding to change over following a plan. I believe that you should be more. able to respond to change, then you should be about following a plan. That's a fundamental kind of core value. And if my organization or if leaders in my organization, that's kind of the key here, right? If the leaders in the organization think, no, no, no, it's about following the plan. We have to establish this amazing plan and then follow the plan. Well, it doesn't really matter what we do at the team level because... somewhere up the chain of command, we're going to have to have that perfect plan that we try to execute on and the leadership is driving that. So we have a mismatch on just our core kind of understanding. Lucy O'Keefe (14:26) Exactly, exactly. So when I go into a new organization, one of the first things I do during my assessment phase, I actually go through every single one of the values and principles with leadership and with the teams. And I ask, which one of these are you doing well? And then we talk about that it's the minority usually. And then it's like, okay, what do we need to do to ensure that we are responding to change or following a plan or that we are... you know, focusing on working software instead of measuring something different. So we go through every single one of those because, as you said, that's where the value is. Understanding those values and principles, it's not about doing scrum, kanban, whatever it is. But if we are following those values and principles, then that's when we're truly going to be algebra and that's when we're going to see the benefits of working in this manner. It's not about the practice, but it's about your beliefs as an organization. Brian (15:24) Yeah, yeah, there's no practice that we're gonna put in place that's gonna solve it all, right? I mean, there's practices that can assist and help us, but the practice isn't the cure, right? The practice is just something that can assist. It's like having crutches, you know? The crutches aren't gonna heal you. Lucy O'Keefe (15:30) Not at all. A way to get there. Yeah. Exactly. Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The practice just a vehicle, but you have to do the work to get there for sure. Brian (15:51) Yeah, that's a great point. Lucy O'Keefe (15:53) Yeah, so I think those were the main ones that we talked about there. You know, of course, we only had an hour, so it wasn't, there wasn't a lot of time to talk about every single one. But I think that, you know, and you were there, of course, but a lot of people came up with their own impediments that they were seeing in their organizations. And I think a lot of them aligned to what we had to say as well, because I think it is pretty standard in organizations that are just starting out. Brian (16:02) Sure. Yeah. Lucy O'Keefe (16:22) that you are seeing a lot. I mean, not just starting out actually. I mean, I've seen an organization that they say they've been agile for years and they still have a lot of these issues. So it's pretty clear that the culture again is the biggest issue with being able to adopt Scrum correctly or adopt an agile way of working correctly. Brian (16:43) Yeah, and I think you hit the nail on the head with the fact that it's just, there's not the time always spent to try to get to the root cause. We're a culture of quick fixes. We want to find something that's going to put in place and take this pill, do whatever, and then it's just going to be solved and everything's going to be fine. But you know, it... For instance, we've used this analogy quite often, the idea of weight loss. There are things that can assist you with that. There are things that can give you help along the way, but there's not a silver bullet to do that other than changing the way that your lifestyle is. You have to change. And please, anyone who's listening, don't think I'm saying this because I have this perfect, because I don't. I'm very bad at this. But I know that the way that I change You know, my overall health is by changing the lifestyle, changing what I eat, changing, you know, my exercise patterns. And that's hard work. It's hard to change that kind of core value in my life, but that's what actually makes the impact. The other things are dressing around it. Right. Lucy O'Keefe (17:58) Yeah, that's what's gonna make you change. Exactly. I mean, think about people who go for, and just staying with the same topic, right? For some bariatric surgery, right? So a lot of times, like the doctor will say, I used to watch my 600 pound life, don't judge me, a little bit, just because it's kind of, it's interesting. And yeah, I mean, they'd have to lose weight before they had the surgery. Brian (18:06) Yeah, yeah. Hahaha. Lucy O'Keefe (18:25) And the majority of people after they had the surgery and kind of lost weight, they just went back and balloon back up because they didn't change their lifestyle. So as you said, yeah, it's great that these band -aids exist, but if you're not going to do the work yourself, then it's really not going to work. So what is the root cause in this case, right? We're eating badly and we're not exercising. So that's what we need to change and not just, you know, take a pill or do a fad diet or get a surgery that... It's not gonna work if we don't change our ways. Brian (18:55) Right, and just for the listeners too, I mean, Lucy and I are not medical professionals in any way. So, you know, we do not mean in any way to try to belittle, you know, treatments and therapies that people use for legitimate purposes and all that stuff. Please understand, right? Gotta make that disclaimer. But I think you're right. You know, like I know in my life, there's been times when I thought, there's some diet supplement or there's something else that, you know, is gonna... Lucy O'Keefe (19:01) No. No, no, no. Brian (19:25) be the thing that really cures this and changes it. But what I've experienced time after time is, no, you really just got to do the hard work. You got to go to the gym and you got to get up and you got to change what you eat and that kind of stuff. And that's what really makes the impact. Well, the same thing here with our organizations. There are practices and the things we can put in place. And there's always hot ones that will be the hot one of the day. I remember when DevOps was kind of the... And we just talked about DevOps in our last episode. It is an important thing. It is a very important thing, and it can give you a lot of boost. But it's a set of practices. And our last guest, when we talked about this, talked about how it's really more of a mindset. It really is more about how we have to change the way we see things. So even there, when we approach things like DevOps, yes, there are practices, there are tools we can put in place. But if we don't change kind of our approach to how we do things, then it won't matter. It's just another thing that we have to learn and put into the workflow. Lucy O'Keefe (20:32) Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, the definition of insanity, right? Doing the same thing over and over and over again and getting the same results because that's what happens if you just keep putting band -aids on things, you're going to end up, you know, encountering the same issues over and over again. So if we don't have that mindset that we are going to make the change and the foundational change to ensure that everything works out, then, you know, then it's we're going to keep having the same issues and we're going to keep hearing this crime just doesn't work for us. Right. Brian (20:37) Ha ha ha. Lucy O'Keefe (21:02) So, yeah. Brian (21:04) There's something that also comes up in classes sometimes that I think one of the things that I found is that getting back to that transparency inspection adaptation, that if we as an organization really value that process and value the idea that, hey, we're going to be transparent about how we do things. We're going to not just ignore when there's a problem, but we're going to inspect it and get to the root cause. And then we're going to find a new way of doing things. that we can just latch onto that. That's a huge cultural change, right? And just kind of buying into those concepts. And what I found is in a lot of instances, I talked about this in the ACSM, a lot of instances, you can directly relate it back to a lack of one of those three things. Are we not being transparent? Are we not actually inspecting? Are we not actually adapting? Lucy O'Keefe (21:57) Yeah, yeah, yeah, those three pillars are definitely important. And I think that they're the foundation of what we are trying to do. And you're right, if we're not being transparent, inspecting and adapting, then we're not being agile, first of all, but that's something that needs to exist throughout the organization, not just within our work, within our teams, but are we being transparent in our relationships? Are we inspecting and adapting how we are dealing with our employees? Are we inspecting and adapting how we are budgeting? I mean, everything, right? We need to be... using that empiricism on a daily basis to ensure that we are headed in that direction. And if we do that, as you just said, the culture will shift organically when we're employing those three pillars, for sure. Brian (22:42) Yeah, absolutely agree. Well, let's, I want to meta this a little bit more here at the end, because I want to know kind of how it, how the fallout from this happened. So, so you, you have this idea, you work with Joe, you, you come up with this topic, you go, you present this. What kind of a follow -up did you get from this? Did you get a lot of good questions from people afterwards? How did the talk go? What did you, what, what, what kind of learnings did you take away from it after you gave the talk? Lucy O'Keefe (22:47) Yep. So I think it was received very well. There were quite a few people that came up to us afterwards and started asking questions to the point that I was actually late to a meeting after that. But anyway, I've had quite a few people reach out to me on LinkedIn, you know, talking about, we really loved your topic. And I actually, I got my reviews from it. And I think a lot of people appreciated that we had action items at the end. Brian (23:22) Hahaha. Lucy O'Keefe (23:38) So for those of you who are listening, we actually had an action plan where people could create an action plan on how they are going to start dealing with the organizational impediments in their organization. So a few people appreciated that. So it was pretty good, you know, pretty good feedback, I think, that we got from that. I would have loved for it to have been a little longer, so we could have gone a little deeper because it is, there is a lot that we can unpack. when we're talking about organizational impediments, one hour just isn't enough time for that, especially when you're trying to make it a more engaging session and not just talking at people. But I think if I had to do this again, I would probably try to do a little less and maybe go a little deeper instead of trying to talk about maybe so many things and barely touching the surface. But I think it was... Brian (24:28) Yeah. Lucy O'Keefe (24:36) I think it was pretty good. I know you're there, so you let me know. Brian (24:38) It was great. Yeah, no, it was great. And so, yeah, I hope you're encouraged by that. But yeah, it was a great talk. And like I said, I heard a lot of good comments from people afterwards. And I think that's pretty natural for us as speakers to kind of rethink afterward and say, maybe I could have done this a little bit different or I could have done this a different way. But, you know, it's tough. Like you said, you've got an hour. And within that hour, you're trying to work in some... interactivity, so it's not just you talking the whole time and you're trying to keep the group engaged. But then you get a lot of information and you just, I got to share all this stuff and I only have an hour to do it. Especially, as CSTs, we're used to talking for two days at a time. So, yeah, an hour is like, you know. Lucy O'Keefe (25:26) Exactly. So an hour is nothing. Yeah. Yeah. Brian (25:32) the break or something, but yeah, you're not used to trying to fit all that information down into a one hour stretch. Lucy O'Keefe (25:40) Yeah, and for me it's like I love answering questions. Like if I could do a talk and then do an hour of just answering questions, I think I'd be like really, really happy because I mean, even when I've, you know, taught with Mountain Goat and all that, you know, being able to answer questions at the end of class, that's like my favorite and I do that in my classes as well. So not being able to give time to actually answer, you know, Brian (25:47) Yeah. Lucy O'Keefe (26:04) questions from the people who are having the issues for me was very difficult not being able to do that because that's something that I enjoy. And, you know, but at the end of the day, I do love speaking. You know, I just, it's one of my passions now, which is kind of funny because I used to be really introverted. But yeah, I think, I know it was a really good experience. It was my first time speaking at the Scrum Gallery. I've spoken at smaller conferences before, but that was my first big one. So it was, it was great. Brian (26:19) Ha ha. Awesome. Lucy O'Keefe (26:34) I hope I'm able to do it again. Brian (26:36) Awesome. Well, it was great. It was a great talk. And I appreciate you coming on and sharing this information with us, because not everyone can come to the Scrum Gathering. And that's one of the reasons why we try to have some people come on that do speak at it, so we can share some of that information in these small little podcast windows. So. Well, Lucy, thank you again for coming on. I appreciate you sharing your talk with us and kind of the behind the scenes of it. And hopefully we can have you on again soon. Lucy O'Keefe (27:11) Thank you, Brian.
Episode 337 - Shawn Livingston - I Am Redemption “What I didn't realize was…I was the problem.” “Running transformed my treatment…the best medicine never prescribed…it helped me emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually…” -Shawn Livingston It's time for a little redemption! In today's episode, the Two Fit Crazies welcomed an amazing guest to the show by the name of Shawn Livingston! Zooming in from Texas, Shawn is here to share his remarkable story of resilience and redemption while traveling down the road from addiction to recovery through the power of running! Get ready to be inspired by this former member of the AirForce who barely escaped a possible twenty-year prison sentence before coming to grips with the reality that “he was the problem.” Today, Shawn Livingston not only celebrates 7-years of sobriety, but also his popular podcast, his budding speaking career, and a Netflix documentary called “100 Miles to Redemption,” a tale of both the mental and physical redemption that took place during his first 100-mile running race. According to Shawn, running will transform you, and the Two Fit Crazies couldn't agree more! So, get moving! Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Shawn Livingston Links and Sites: www.iamredemption.com Instagram @iam.redemption Facebook: Shawn Livingston Podcast: I am Redemption Netflix Documentary: 100 Miles to Redemption (2022) - IMDb #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #military #airforce #service #Ohio #basketball #rehab #treatment #redemption #trailrunning #trailrunner #physcial #emotional #mental #spiritual #12Step #hope #PennyLane #addiction #overcomeaddiction #TedX #Iamredemption #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #marathon #run #speaker #rolemodel #ultraathlete #enduranceraces #Austin #runninggroups #ShawnLivingston #RunnersWorld #Netflix #Documentary
Episode 336 - Linda Mitchell: Speaker/Fitness Universe Champion/Gym Owner/Author/Podcast Founder-Sisterhood of SWEAT “Not until I was 58 did I realize I had been trying to win my mother's approval through my accolades…I had been working for someone's approval that I may never receive.” “Put validation in your own hands…it's never too late…you are worthy of your dreams.” -Linda Mitchell Welcome to the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast hosted by your favorite “fit crazies,” Brian and Christine! In today's episode, get ready to hear from an amazing fitness cover model and highly accomplished fitness competitor by the name of Linda Mitchell! Linda joins the show from her home in Ohio where she is preparing for her next photo shoot for the cover of Strong Magazine that will drop in January 2025! Listen up as Linda discusses how she managed to reinvent herself over the course of her life and how her life changed when she listened to her heart, continued to dream big, and prayed hard. Linda also reveals how her desire to have sisters led her to create the “Sisterhood of S.W.E.A.T.” (Strong Women Empowering and Achieving Together) Currently, Linda considers herself a powerful woman in her 60's and will continue to train for more competitions, increase her podcast presence, build the “Sisterhood” at her gym, and continue to grace the cover of magazines! According to Linda, “it's never too late to achieve your dreams!” Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Linda Mitchell Links and Site: www.sisterhoodofsweat.com @sisterhoodofsweat #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #strongmagazine #missfitnessmagazine #procard #fitnessuniverse #ohio #covermodel #dreams #sisterhoodofsweat #prayer #mission #podcaster #MissFitnessUSA #fitnesscompetitor #aginggracefully #overcome #WomensHealthMagazine #LAWoman #Eveninggown #bikini #womeninfitness #grandma #mother #author
Episode 334 - Fill Your Cup with The Two Fit Crazies “Your job is to fill your own cup, so it overflows into the lives of others.” Do you know what it means to “fill your cup?” In today's awesome episode of the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast, Brian and Christine discuss the magnitude of understanding how to “fill your cup” when it comes to achieving lasting health and happiness! Listen up, because Christine is about to share some of her latest adventures on her quest to better serve the world while also filling up her cup. From her recent international retreat with the Reinventing the Woman Group in the Dominican Republic, to guiding yet another amazing neurodivergent athlete across the IRONMAN finish line with the Chris Nikic 1% Better Foundation, there is no doubt that this podcast will fuel your soul! Then, stay tuned as Brian shares how his passion for running and coaching his athletes so they can smash school records has been key to filling his cup throughout the years. And….since the Two Fit Crazies take immense pride in having fun, you DO NOT want to miss the end of this show! We guarantee you will want to sponsor one of our _______________. Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Christine and Brian www.twofitcrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Christine@ContiFitness.net @twofitcrazies @theChristineConti #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #marathon #onepercentbetter #run # #ICAA #Rollga #Burnalong #njshore #tfcproductions #brick #track #USTAF #NASM #FitFixNow #RTWtribe #IRONMAN #neurodivergent #downsyndrome #retreat #villaserena #fillyourcup #serve #SQUAK #trackandfield #coach #Ideafit #yesyoucan #mindset #healthcoach #laugh #golf #holeinone #giveback
Dr. Joy is the Chief Medical Officer for Lore Health. Prior to that, she served as Senior Medical Director for Wellness and Nutrition at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, UT. She received her B.S. and M.D. degrees at the University of Minnesota, and M.P.H. from the University of Utah. She completed her Family Medicine Residency and Sports Medicine Fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Utah School of Medicine in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and in the College of Health Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology. Dr. Joy is the Past President of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the Female Athlete Triad Coalition. She Chairs the Exercise Is Medicine Governance Committee for the ACSM, and serves on the Board of Directors, and Chairs the Healthcare Sector for the National Physical Activity Plan. Her research interests lie in the areas of diabetes prevention, physical activity promotion, and the Female Athlete Triad.For information about my upcoming Online Yoga For Dudes, Brand-New Beginner's Course - email me directly at jpanasevich@gmail.com, or call or text me at 267.275.3890.
Episode 333 - Coach Rafael Escobar - Escobar Fitness LLC “I want children strong, safe, happy, and secure…it starts with the parents. We must lead by example.” “We need to keep learning how to parent…provide generational health.” -Coach Raf It's the unofficial start to summer here at the Jersey shore, and the Two Fit Crazies are ready to provide all you parents out there with the resources needed to thrive throughout this season and beyond! Let's welcome Rafael Escobar, AKA “Coach Raf,” a specialist in helping parents of young kids who are struggling with exhaustion to gain the energy, confidence, and healthy lifestyles needed to raise happy and healthy children! Listen up as Coach Raf explains what fueled his passion for helping new mothers recover and get back to feeling their best both physically and mentally. If you are simply trying to survive as a parent, it is time to step back and utilize Coach Raf's best kept secrets to thrive through parenthood and decide when a change is needed! Grab a pen and paper and let's take the steps to successfully make it through the toughest “hood” in the world, parenthood! Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Coach Raf Links and Sites: linkedin.com/in/rafael-escobar-coach-raf-6067345a thrivingthroughparenthood.com/ coachraf@escobarfitness.com #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #parents #parenthood #familyfitness #thrive #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #marathon #onepercentbetter #run # #ICAA # #SpringLake5 #MemorialDay #Summer #JerseyShore #coachraf #moms #recovery #LA #calm #GenerationalHealth #CorporateWellness #Nutrition #GutHealth #BodyandSoul
Episode 332 - The Two Fit Crazies and Loyalty The Two Fit Crazies and Loyalty There are 3 types of people that come into your life. There are those who are like the leaves on trees that show up for a season, but when the weather (or things) gets tough, they fall off and disappear. Then, there are the types of people that are like branches. These people can be strong and stay around for longer than the “leaves,” but they may not last forever; They may not be able to hold you up if you need support, and they may even break. However, the third type of person is the “root.” This person may not always be visible to others or out in the spotlight, but they are always there. They support you, hold you up, and help to keep you from falling no matter what you may encounter. The roots are YOUR people! So why are you telling me this story? Today's episode of the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast take a deep dive into the power of being a “root” in life, as well as the importance of surrounding yourself with strong “roots.” In addition, Christine and Brian cannot wait to tell you about all their latest travels, racing, and chaos! Who is breaking records? Who stole Christine's medal from the C & O Canal 100-mile race? Where are these two fit crazies headed next! Listen up for more! Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Christine@ContiFitness.net #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #marathon #onepercentbetter #run # #ICAA #Rollga #Burnalong #njshore #tfcproductions #brick #track #USTAF #NASM #FitFixNow #100MileRace #Leaves #Branches #roots #retreat #nationals #steeplechase #PR #breakingrecords #adidas #newbalance #nike #BeARoot #UnitedAirlines #ironman #triathlete #SpringLake5 #MemorialDay #Summer #JerseyShore
Join Brian Milner and Hunter Hillegas as they unveil Goatbot, Mountain Goat Software's latest AI innovation designed to transform how we access and learn from Agile and Scrum resources. Tune in to hear Hunter delve into the intricate process of developing and testing this AI platform. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian and Hunter Hillegas, Mountain Goat Software’s CTO, dive deep into the capabilities of Goatbot, an AI-powered tool that makes accessibility of reliable Agile and Scrum knowledge easier. Developed by Mountain Goat Software, Goatbot answers queries using the company’s extensive array of training materials, blog posts, and articles, ensuring that users receive precise and reliable information. The discussion also covers the rapid advancements in AI technology, exploring its burgeoning role in coding and testing. Join Brian and Hunter as they explore how Goatbot was created, its impact on learning Agile methodologies, and the exciting future of AI in software development. Listen Now to Discover: [1:05] - Brian welcomes our beloved Chief Executive Officer at Mountain Goat Software, and creator of Goatbot, our Agile & Scrum AI, Hunter Hillegas. [4:06] - Hunter explains how he and the team were able to make an AI platform to answer Scrum and Agile questions accurately every time. [7:07] - Hunter talks about the experience of working with and developing AI from a long-term programmer's perspective. [10:35] - Hunter and Brian share that Goatbot is available, accessible, and free on the Mountain Goat Software website. [12:25] - Hunter walks through the process of creating Goatbot and some of the challenges the team faced to bring it to life. [15:42] - Brian invites you to come on over and test out Goatbot, run it through its paces, and tell us what you think. Goatbot is free to use and specifically programmed to answer all your Agile and Scrum questions. Ask away! [17:23] - As a technologist, Hunter talks about the parts of AI that are exciting and interesting in the tech world. [19:05] - Brian points out the pace that AI technology is improving, underscoring its impact on setting new standards of improvement industry-wide. [22:36] - Hunter shares his approach to integrating AI tools in his coding and testing processes, highlighting when they're beneficial and when they're not. [28:46] - Brian shares a big thank you to Hunter for joining him on the show. [29:30] - Brian shares the array of complimentary tools available at Mountain Goat Software, including Relative Weighting, as well as those tailored for users in the Agile Mentors Community, such as Planning Poker. [30:41] - If you want to ask a question or provide feedback on Goatbot, email hello@mountaingoatsoftware.com [31:06] - We invite you to subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast. Do you have feedback or a great idea for an episode of the show? Great! Just send us an email. [31:39] - If you’d like to continue this discussion, join the Agile Mentors Community. You get a year of free membership into that site by taking any class with Mountain Goat Software. References and resources mentioned in the show: Hunter Hillegas Goatbot Mountain Goat Software’s Free Tools Mountain Goat Software’s Relative Weighting Tool Mountain Goat Software’s Planning Poker Mountain Goat Software Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Join the Agile Mentors Community Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Hunter Hillegas is CTO at Mountain Goat Software. With over 20 years in software development and a knack for creating high-quality digital solutions, he thrives at a company that values excellence in education and customer satisfaction, living in Santa Barbara with his wife and their distinctive Pitsky, Enzo. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian (00:00) Welcome in Agile Mentors. We are back for another episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast. I am with you as always, Brian Milner. And today I have a very special guest, a coworker of mine, Mr. Hunter Hillegas is with us. Welcome in Hunter. Hunter (00:17) Hey Brian, thanks for having me. Brian (00:19) Absolutely. Hunter is our CTO. He is the guy who's all about technology. And anytime I have technology questions, this is who I go to. And he is very patient with me and helps me to understand things when I don't understand them. But we wanted to have Hunter on to talk about one thing in particular that we felt like maybe not everyone knows about yet. or maybe you've crossed paths with it, but really are kind of interested in the story behind it a little bit. That is Goatbot. If you don't know, actually, I shouldn't be answering this stuff. If you don't know what Goatbot is, Hunter, tell them what Goatbot is. Hunter (00:54) Yes. Sure, so as the listeners may know, Mountain Goat, Mike Cohn in particular, but also Brian and other contributors, we generate a lot of content, whether it's training material or blog posts, other articles. And for a long time, we've wanted to make that more accessible to people. There's just so much of it that that's always been a little bit of a challenge, even using search and other technologies. And like, A lot of other people, about I guess 18 months or so ago when ChatGPT launched, I became a lot more interested in large language models and got a better sense of what the state of the art was there. So Goatbot is our attempt to meld those two things together to try to solve that problem to make all of our content more accessible using some of that technology. So it is a tool that lets you ask questions about scrimmage topics and it will answer them based on all the stuff that we've written and trained on, etc. Brian (02:06) That's a great explanation. Yeah, that's what it is. That's the idea behind it. And I'm sure Hunter will back me up on this. I'll tell you, when we first started doing this, I was trying as much as I could to put it through the paces. And I think I may have even said this on other podcasts before, but my go -to question I used to ask any kind of LLM about Agile and Scrum, was to have it tell me the difference between a product owner and a product manager. And in fact, I would say specifically, what does Scrum say the difference is between these two things? And the answers I would typically get, they would just give me an answer. They would say, well, a product manager is this and a product owner is that. Hunter (02:46) Hmm. Brian (03:00) And I remember telling Hunter, this is wrong. It shouldn't say that, right? Because Scrum doesn't have a product manager. How are we able to handle those kind of one -off kind of exceptions in working with this? Hunter (03:14) Sure. So anybody that's used some of the more general tools like chat GPT is like I think the go -to example that probably most people are familiar with even though there are other chatbots out there. know that, you know, sometimes it will give you wrong answers. Sometimes it will give you sort of strange answers. It will do what they call hallucinate and make things up essentially, because it really wants to give you an answer, even if it doesn't know what the answer should be. And, you know, that was something that I was worried about when I started to prototype this. Like we are, we have a, I think, I hope. to say, a great reputation in terms of the stuff that we put out there. And the last thing that I wanted to do was to put that in danger in any way by having some kind of a tool that's spouting nonsense out there. So. That was important. And I didn't really know how well it was going to work when I started sort of prototyping this whole idea. And I had some doubts. But what I discovered was that if I gave the model very specific instructions about where it should be pulling. It's, uh, it's information from, i .e. please only use this information I'm giving you, um, that is, we know it's from our materials and not sort of maybe some random article that they found on the web somewhere. That's part of the larger trainings that be very specific. And if you don't know an answer, say, you don't know, you don't need to make anything up. Um, so those sorts of what they call system messages did a lot of tuning there. Um, and ended up with something that actually works. pretty well, I think. I mean, it exceeded my expectations once I started getting, once I got to the point where there was something where I felt like I should share it with the team, that it wasn't embarrassing. And I feel like, you know, the feedback internally was really good and the feedback that we've gotten from people that have been using it has been really good. So I'm happy with how it's going so far. Brian (05:09) Yeah, I've been really, really impressed. It's been just a really nice tool. It's done a good job. We initially had it sort of internal, like you said, and we put it through its paces. We had kind of widening circles of people that would test it out and try it and give us feedback. And Hunter kept tweaking and making adjustments to it. But I'll tell you, I don't know if I even told this to you, Hunter, but I was doing a... ACSM class a few weeks back. And one of the opening exercises we do in that class is to really kind of consider some of the other Agile frameworks that are out there, not just Scrum and see how they compare. And one of the ones I have on my list is one that doesn't get used very often. It's kind of one that died out, but it's called Crystal or Crystal Clear if you know that or you're familiar with that. Hunter (06:00) Mm -hmm. Brian (06:07) But I wanted to see what the Goatbot would say about it, so I asked it specifically, just give me an overview of what Crystal is. And I think I said specifically the Agile framework Crystal, just to make sure it wasn't anything strange. But the response that came back was, I don't have any information on that. I know about Scrum, and I can give you answers about that, but I just don't have any information on anything else. And I. Hunter (06:21) Right. Brian (06:34) Honestly, it really impressed me. Here's another thing that it could have made something up and said, oh, yeah, yeah, it's this. Or it could have pulled from some general database or something else out there. But it's tuned really well to only pull from our data. And I just think that's awesome. Hunter (06:50) One of the things that's been strange slash interesting for me as a long time programmer in all kinds of different technologies from the web to native applications to other things. is how different it is working with these LLMs and trying to get them to bend them to your will. There are instructions in the system message that in all capital letters say do not make anything up. And the fact that I'm having to program a computer, I'm doing scare quotes here, program a computer by telling it not to invent things is just so bizarre coming from a very two plus two equals four world of more traditional programming. But it's also been really exciting and interesting. Brian (07:32) Yeah. Yeah, it is kind of completely opposite from a programming perspective, right? Because we're so used to, oh, it's not going to do anything but exactly what you tell it to do. And it can't fill in gaps at all. And now the problem is it could fill in too many gaps or try to fill in too many gaps. Yeah. Hunter (07:44) Right. Right. Absolutely. And you can think even just beyond, you know, your example of a, of a, of a framework that's not in common use and probably not something that we've talked a lot about on the website and our own own materials. There's all kinds of other instructions that I had to put in. Cause I didn't want this thing sort of going far afield and, and, and, you know, coming up with a really wacky, potentially terrible answer, um, to some of these questions. And so, yeah, we're, you know, we, we do give it some very specific instructions on how it should behave. Brian (08:21) I tell people who come to the class that, you know, I can't a hundred percent guarantee. I can't a hundred percent say, yeah, it's always going to give you a hundred percent the right answer. But what I can tell you is I've, you know, we've all put it through its paces. We've all asked it things that we feel like, Hey, this is kind of tricky. I wonder what it would do with this. And, uh, you know, just my own personal perspective has been when I, when I ask it a question and it gives me an answer, it's, it's. damn close to what my answer would be. It's really close to what I would say on that matter. Hunter (08:55) Yeah, it's encouraging to hear that. And I've heard that from you and from Mike as well, and then also from customers that have been using it over the past, so whatever month and change or so it's been more publicly available that they are really happy with the output. And it's a great way for us to take advantage of all of this material that we've built up over all of these years that otherwise some of it probably would be. something from 10 years ago, still really relevant in a lot of cases, but maybe gathering justice. Cause it's not, you know, the top blog posts on the website or something. So some of this knowledge, it's a little bit more varied. We can resurface it with a tool like this. Brian (09:33) Now, this was something that we initially just had in the Agile mentors community, right? Hunter (09:39) That's how it started. And that was for a few reasons, mostly because, well, a couple of important reasons. One is that with these types of LLM things, there are costs associated with it in the sense that it does cost us per question effectively. And just we wanted to make sure that we understood what those costs were before that we just let it loose on the wider internet. So that was part of it. But also to get a sense of how people would react to it in those early weeks and months got a lot of feedback. feedback on the responses just to get a general sense of did people think that this was a good answer or not so good and use that to calibrate it because you know frankly if it underperformed where we wanted it to be that would be a good signal that we needed to do some more work on it or give it some more time to bake. Brian (10:26) Yeah. Yeah. And now we kind of have opened that up, and it's available to anyone. You can go to Mount Goat Software and look in our menus. And there in our tools, it's under Tools, right? Hunter (10:41) Yeah, so you can get to it from the Mountain Goat site. You can either go to it is in the navigation, I think right next to the podcast for those of you that are familiar with where to find that on the website. I think it's right next to it, at least for now. No matter what you can go to mountaingoatsoftware .com slash goat bot and that will take you to the right place. That's G -O -A -T -B -O -T. And it is free right now. So we've couched that with at least for a limited time. We are again, sort of experimenting with the model and where it's going to go. But you can sign up for an account today and use it for free and get put it through its paces. And we're pretty happy with what we've got so far. So please do do that. And hopefully it's useful and give us feedback if you find something that you think could be improved or or let us know if you worked out for you to like to hear those as well. Brian (11:29) Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And yeah, we kind of buried our lead here just to say that, yeah, it is free, right? We're not selling you on something. We don't have a package of things that we're not. Yes, we did originally have it in our Agile mentors community. But like Hunter said, there was a lot of reasons for that. We wanted to be safe with it. We wanted to have a smaller audience, see what kind of responses we got. Hunter (11:38) Right. Yes. Yeah. Brian (11:58) We'd hate to put something out there in the world and then have people say, you know what kind of crazy stuff this thing told me to do? So yeah, kind of a safer audience there to start with. But yeah, it's available to anyone for free. You can just go to our site and use it. And as Hunter said, yeah, please give us feedback. If there's anything that you want to just let us know that it was useful to you in any way, or maybe you used it for something unusual, we wouldn't have anticipated. Hunter (12:04) Right. Right. Hahaha. Brian (12:27) Yeah, let us know. We're trying to tweak it and make it as useful as we possibly can. What surprised you most in this work of putting this together? Did it go just as you expected or did it throw you for some loops along the way? Hunter (12:42) There were definitely some loops. I mean, I sort of alluded to the fact before that it's a little bit different of a mentality in terms of how you get it to do what you want. GoPod is actually a few technologies glued together. There's the content itself. So as you might imagine, we've got... all of this various content, whether it's transcripts from training courses and videos or blog posts that Mike has written or weekly tips, books, all kinds of stuff. So there's a ton of different content. It's all in these different places. So, you know, step one was creating a sort of pipeline that could take all of this content that's all in these different places and clean it up a little bit so that it didn't have, say, you know, editors notes in it and other things like that that don't make any sense. and then put that content into a vector database. So I'm sure that many listeners are familiar with more traditional relational databases. Vector databases are not new, but they have become a lot more popular with the rise of the LLM stuff. And basically a vector database will chunk up the various content and lets you query to figure out how content that is close to the query that you asked in a mathematical vector space. And so we use that when you... pose a query to go, but it will go and find relevant pieces of information related to your query that the LLM in this case we use GPT -4 as the model underneath our underneath go pot can take the content that was retrieved these sort of chunks of content that by themselves don't read very well, wouldn't be a very good answer. And it can use that to reformat it, to summarize, to put stuff together into a way that makes sense. Putting those pieces together was something that was new to me. I can't remember the last time I had used a vector database for anything. And the LLM bit was new for me as well. But despite the fact that it was new to me technologies, at least in those cases, the pieces of it coming together actually was simpler than I imagined for how well it worked even in its first incarnation. It kind of came together more quickly, the basic core of it came together more quickly than I thought that it would. There was then a lot of refining, especially around the prompting and the messaging stuff. But... These technologies, especially if you are a programmer, even if you don't have any background in machine learning or AI stuff, I think it's accessible and, in my opinion at least, fun to play with because it is kind of like a whole new world there. So I guess I'd say for those that are interested and maybe are worried that I don't know anything about these technologies, I would go check them out because I think you'll find that they're more accessible than you may think. Brian (15:39) Yeah, and they're getting better. I mean, the pace of their improvement is just so rapid. You know, you tried something, you know, two weeks ago, and then two weeks later, it's just a completely different experience because it's just incrementally, you know, nonstop getting better all the time. Gosh, I'm... Hunter (15:45) Yep. The models, I'm sorry to interrupt you, Brian, but yeah, I mean, I agree 100%. The models that we've been using have gotten faster and cheaper, I think two or three times in big step change moments since we started the project. I mean, that is a technology that's moving quickly. Brian (16:13) Yeah, yeah. No, I was just going to make a joke about the fact that I think we've quoted about two or three songs there, and I just did another one with getting better all the time. Yeah, so this is a fascinating topic, Gary, obviously, for a lot of people. And what I'm kind of curious here, because we're maybe about halfway through our time, and I'm just kind of curious if we shift gears a little bit. from talking about GoPot to talking about AI in general, because you've done a lot of work in this area, and you're obviously in technology, and you're an aficionado, a technologist. What have you seen most recently in this area? Where do you think this is headed? What kind of trends have you noticed recently? Hunter (17:01) Well, I mean, it's obviously an area of great interest for the development community. It also, it seems like in the last year, every product that we use as tools or whatever, they are talking about the AI features that they're adding. Um, and at least in my experience, you know, some of those are really interesting, you know, like we use zoom often for internal meetings and, you know, it has a feature now that can automatically summarize a meeting and you can ask it, you know, what were the follow -up items and stuff like that. That's great. There's also maybe a little bit of sort of round peg square hole with some of this. Like, I don't know if every tool in the world needs an AI feature, and there are definitely some where I seems a little bit useless. Um, Brian (17:40) Yeah. Hunter (17:48) I guess that's to be expected with something like this that's got so much interest. The things that I'm excited about, and it feels like it's still very much early days, but you can see the contours are what many people would refer to as agents. So basically, AI tools that are going to go out and do things on your behalf. So not just write me a blog post or summarize this email, but... You know, and the example that's often used in some of these demos is like book me a vacation. I personally, I want to pick the seat I'm sitting in. So I don't know if I'm going to do that, but, um, you know, when the, when the tools can get good enough to go out and do things for you. Right. So I don't know example of this podcast recording, uh, we, you sent me a link to the calendar tool. I found a time that was open, but in theory that could be completely automated away, right? My agent could talk to your agent and it could just find the time. And that would, we would just both be told like, Oh, you guys are recording. Brian (18:21) Yeah, me too. Hunter (18:44) You know, at X time, that sort of thing, right? And then going several steps beyond that. I think that's really interesting. People are starting to build those. The models need to get, I think, a good bit better before, you know, that really works well. But I can't wait to see where that goes in particular. I think that's gonna be a lot of fun. Brian (19:05) Yeah, I agree. I mean, like Zoom is a great example because we were even having conversations about this recently, just that there's a lot of criticism about how good and the quality of those summaries that take place after a meeting. But previously, when we encounter a technology tool like that, you'd see the product and you'd say, oh, it's either useful or it's not useful. Hunter (19:18) Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. Brian (19:34) And it's kind of a binary one or zero. If it wasn't useful, then it really was about how that company implemented that feature. And they weren't going to do a massive overhaul of how it was implemented. It kind of is what it is. So we're kind of conditioned, I think, to have this response. Or at least if you're of a certain age, you're kind of conditioned to have this response of, hey, if it didn't work, it probably is not going to work. I can move on and find something else. But. Hunter (19:43) Right. Right. Brian (20:03) The pace of how this gets better is such that you try the Zoom tool, you look at the response and think, oh, that wasn't very useful. But you do it again in two weeks later. And all of a sudden, it's everything that you wanted it to be in the first pass. Because people have been saying, hey, this doesn't work, and I wish it was this way, and then the tool can update and modify. And it's crazy to think about, we have to get our heads wrapped around the pace of improvement is now vastly different. Hunter (20:13) Mm -hmm. It's it is definitely that's a very good point and it is different and you know, I know that there are some folks that you know, you take exception at calling these things AIs because they're not actually smart, right? How do how they work? They're not. They're not intelligent. But they are pretty impressive and they do unlock a whole lot of interesting new categories of stuff. And maybe you could have done some of these tasks before in other ways procedurally, but these can make some of those problems a lot easier to solve because of how they work. Now, I mean, I don't think I'd want ChatGPT to do my taxes, but... Brian (21:12) Yeah. Hunter (21:14) But it does have a lot of really interesting use cases. And you are absolutely right that these models are improving so quickly. And it is kind of like that little brain in there. And they can upgrade it with the latest version. And all of a sudden, it's just a little bit smarter. And again, I know some people take Umbridge as smart and intelligent. But I think you know what I mean. Brian (21:34) Yeah, no, and the funny thing there about, I mean, your example about doing your taxes is, you know, I laughed about that and thought, oh yeah, I'm kind of with you. I wouldn't want to have an AI do my taxes, but that's our opinion. There's probably others that would say, no, I'm fine with it doing it. If it's been trained and it's, you know, been programmed to do it a certain way, then yeah, that's fine. And I, you know, I'm aware of services that will do that with legal documents now that will create entire contracts and... wills and all sorts of stuff from a legal perspective. And that kind of leap, maybe that's the line for me. I look at that and say, oh, I could see that. Because it's a kind of a limited knowledge base. But taxes are kind of the same thing. They're, yeah. Hunter (22:18) I think it's doable. Yeah. I, I, I'm still at the stage with something like that where I'm in the trust, but verify mode. Like I, you know, it's, I would want to check it over and make sure it was correct, but I can easily see, you know, a little bit further down the road where a defined problem set like that, you can pretty much guarantee that it's going to, you know, give you a valid answer. Brian (22:24) Yeah. Yeah. Well, so I do want to dip our toe just a little bit in this other area too, because I know there's probably people wondering about this. You're in technology. You're at the levels where you're doing coding work. And I'm sure that you have made use or tried to make use of some of the tools that are out there now that assist and help with coding. What's your opinion of the current state of that art? Hunter (22:56) Mm. Yeah, no, great question. And I do use those tools. I'll use ChatGPT sometimes to work through a problem, or GitHub Copilot is the other tool that I use often. It's integrated into some of my other tools. I have found it useful in a bunch of different ways. I can find it useful to either... Help me write code that I 100 % could have written myself, no problem, but it would have just taken a little bit longer because I would have to go look something up and then remember some function name that I had forgotten. So like a script to reformat a CSV file or something like that, right? Not complicated, not breaking any new ground, something that I'm gonna use once and throw away. It's really good at that sort of thing and just creating something for me that I, you know, again, could have done myself easily, but it'll save me 10 minutes and I'll take it. I've also used it to help me understand a little bit. Maybe there's code in a language that I don't use very often or a framework I don't use. It's kind of like, what is happening here exactly? And having it try to explain it to me and walk through certain things. And that's also been useful for me, kind of just like I would talk to a colleague that might know a different area of a system better than I do, have a little bit of a back and forth. And that's been useful. I do not. do and at least right now would not feel comfortable with is like, I guess the equivalent of like copy and pasting code from Stack Overflow, right? So just taking huge chunks of code where I have no idea how it works or what it does and saying, it seems to give me the right answer, so I'm just gonna use it. That I wouldn't feel comfortable with in any context, whether it was AI generated or something that I found on a website someplace. So. I kind of treat it like, and others have said this too, but maybe like a pair program situation or like a junior programmer that might not have all of the experience, but is definitely very competent and can help with things. And I do find it saves me time. So I'm glad that it's there. Brian (25:10) Yeah, you know, it's funny because when you said that I wouldn't copy and paste, you know, things over, I kind of feel that same way. I'm not doing code, but I just didn't, you know, anything I would write or anything I would, uh, you know, kind of come up with in that way. Um, my, my kind of opinion is it hasn't really helped me as much with brainstorming type activities. I don't find it to be as, as creative. Hunter (25:38) Mm -hmm. Brian (25:38) To give me different ideas. But I do really, really enjoy how I can take a rough draft of something and then put it in and say, help me tweak this or help me make this better. It seems like it does a really good job with something like that. Hunter (25:42) Right. Yep, I'd spend my general experience as well. And it's, you know, I, I will take any tool assistance I can find here and there. And I do think even if I, even if it's not perfect, it's still an improvement and I can get some, maybe it'll make a suggestion for something I wouldn't have thought of or looking at it a slightly different way, which I find useful. So I'm happy to have it. Brian (26:19) Have you utilized it in any ways to test any of the code that you work on? Hunter (26:24) Oh. Yeah, that's a great question. For many programmers, writing tests can be kind of drudgery. And actually, I do find that it can be pretty good at writing certain kinds of tests for you. And actually, it's interesting if it struggles to write a test for something, it may be a sign that what you're trying to test needs to be refactored because it may not be, if it's not understandable enough or it's too Brian (26:50) Ha. Hunter (26:55) Big of chunks or whatever, that can also be an interesting indicator that maybe you need to go back and tweak that as well. But yes, I mean, I don't always enjoy writing automated tests, but they are very important. And so it is nice to have any kind of labor saving in that department. It's another area where I welcome. Brian (27:17) Yeah, you threw out the term refactor as well. I'm kind of curious there. If it does a good job of reformatting a couple of paragraphs, how good a job does it do with refactoring code? Hunter (27:28) It depends, like a lot of these things, but I definitely have thrown stuff in and said, hey, rewrite this function, tell me how you would do it. And there have been times where it will say, oh, well, you could, this is maybe a little verbose, you could compact this down, you could write this like this. In some cases, I originally wrote it in a certain way on purpose, because sometimes it'll generate code that is correct, but kind of hard to read. And there's a tension there between. something that's that future you will be able to read and understand versus the most compact terse code possible, right? So I don't always take its suggestions, but it can be good. Also it's good at finding, you know, silly programmer bugs off by one errors and those sorts of things that are really common. that we, the kinds of mistakes that we all make. Um, and so, yeah, another area where I'm happy to, to get a helping hand and just save me from banging my head into the wall, trying to figure out why this thing should work. And it turns out I just put a stomach hole in the wrong place. You know, something like that. Brian (28:25) Yeah, I'm always kind of careful with how I phrase this, but I know there's a lot of panic and there's a lot of concern about these things being able to replace the human element. And so I always try to preface this by saying, right now, the way the thing is right now. And the kind of examples we both gave, I think, are good examples to show that right now, it can't really do that. It can't really just completely wholesale. Hunter (28:35) Yeah. Yeah. Brian (28:53) Replace the human element in it. But I think that our examples are good examples of how it can be a beneficial tool to help create these things. Hunter (29:05) I definitely see it as a productivity enhancer. I don't think, at least none of the models that I've seen, none of the chat bots that I've seen, I have seen a couple of products that claim they're sort of an AI developer in a box. I have not seen any that are very good. I mean, I saw a chat GPT demo of a guy that drew a picture of an iPhone app on the piece of paper and it... Brian (29:23) Yeah. Hunter (29:32) Gave it the code for a working app, but OK, great, now I want to add another feature. And like, oh, well, you can't really, because it's a piece. So some of those demos are impressive for sure. But in terms of the kinds of things that working software developers are doing every day, I have not seen anything that could replace the people that I work with on my various teams. Brian (29:40) Ha ha ha. Yeah, I mean, who knows where it'll be a year from now or two years from now. But yeah, I think we can only kind of deal with the state of it today. And that's sort of the state of it today. Well, Hunter, I really appreciate you coming on. This has been a fascinating topic. Again, for those who want to check it out, the whole reason we wanted to have this is just to make sure people were aware of this Goatbot tool. And hey, if you want to give someone some thanks for it, this is your guy. Hunter (29:57) Right. Yep. Hahaha. Brian (30:25) You can, if you want to send something to hello at mountegoatsoftware .com, that's our general kind of email address for anything from Mountain Goat. So send something to hello at mountegoatsoftware .com and tell us what you think of it. Let us know what you think. And if you have suggestions, let us know, right? Hunter (30:42) We're very excited to hear your feedback. I appreciate the kind words, Brian. I will say GoPot would be nothing without all of the content that you guys write for. So I can't take all of that credit, but it is fun to kind of pull all these things together in a way that people seem to enjoy. Brian (30:50) Ha ha ha. Awesome. Well, thank you again for coming on. Hunter. Hunter (30:59) Thank you.
Kasey Shuler, ACSM from Joyful Health Co. joins the podcast this week to talk about how to heal your relationship with exercise by grace. If you want to glorify God with your body, want to heal a disordered relationship with exercise, and want to enjoy working out... you need this episode! Thank you so much for subscribing to our podcast and sharing the show with people who need to hear this message! Make sure to follow us on Instagram @yourdailybreadpodcast https://www.instagram.com/yourdailybreadpodcast/?hl=en Connect with Kasey Below! Instagram accounts -- @kaseybshuler @joyfulhealthco Non-Diet Christian Advocate Certification Program Information The Joyful Health Show Podcast
Episode 331 - The Two Fit Crazies on the Run! “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” If you remember watching this show, you just dated yourself! And you may or may not remember where all of the countries in Africa and South America are located. Why do I mention this, you ask? On any given day, you never know where the Two Fit Crazies will show up around the globe! You've waited long enough, and Christine and Brian are ready to fill you in on all their latest travels, coaching and speaking adventures! Listen up as Christine shares what she learned on her trip to Golden, Colorado to see her wicked smart and athletic niece, Allison. Not only did she graduate with a 4.0 but did it in only 3-years from one of the most highly ranked schools in the country. Apparently, the Colorado School of Mines is “where it's at!” On top of that, Brian opens up about his ridiculously successful coaching endeavors as the driving force behind some of the best runners in the state of New Jersey, the east coast, and beyond! It must be the coaching, right? To hear more, listen to the episode and be ready for more tales of chaos and craziness as the two “fit crazies” continue to inspire the world to be just a little healthier and happier by the day! Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Christine@ContiFitness.net #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #marathon #onepercentbetter #run # #ICAA #Rollga #Burnalong #njshore #tfcproductions #brick #track #USTAF #orediggers #coloradoschoolofmines #miners #ManasquanHighSchool #runner #hurdles #coach #inspire #educate #travel #UnitedAirlines #MariottHotels #Planes #trains #automobiles #breathe #laugh #nike #hoka #adidas #brooks #SpecialOlympics #autismawareness #downsyndromeawareness #NJ #CarmenSanDiego
DM Us! We love chatting with our audience, please feel free to do so on Instagram and say what's up!Joe GambinoJoe LaVaccaWant to work with us? Apply here!Watch on YouTube here.SummaryIn this conversation, Joe LaVacca and Joe Gambino discuss their current fitness routines and the difference between exercise and training. They both prioritize strength training, with Joe LaVacca training four days a week and Joe Gambino training five days a week. They also incorporate aerobic work into their routines, with Joe LaVacca focusing on lower intensity aerobic exercises and Joe Gambino using a Peloton bike. They discuss the importance of mobility work and how they incorporate it into their training. They also touch on the concept of seasons in training, where they focus on specific goals for a period of time. The conversation explores the importance of skill development in training and the need to practice specific skills to improve performance. It emphasizes the need to align training goals with individual interests and sports-specific skills. The ACSM guidelines for fitness are discussed, highlighting the importance of finding realistic and achievable goals. The conversation also delves into the concept of strength training as a means to improve the body's ability to handle stress and the importance of finding the right balance between rehab and fitness training. The episode concludes with a discussion on navigating pain and making adjustments to training programs to accommodate individual needs.Keywordsfitness, exercise, training, strength training, aerobic work, mobility work, seasons in training, skill development, training goals, ACSM guidelines, strength training, rehab, fitness training, pain managementTakeawaysBoth Joe LaVacca and Joe Gambino prioritize strength training in their fitness routines.They incorporate aerobic work into their routines, with Joe LaVacca focusing on lower intensity exercises and Joe Gambino using a Peloton bike.Mobility work is an important component of their training, and they discuss different approaches to incorporating it.They discuss the concept of seasons in training, where they focus on specific goals for a period of time. Skill development is crucial for optimal performance, and specific skills need to be practiced to improve performance.Align training goals with individual interests and sports-specific skills.Be aware of the ACSM guidelines for fitness and find realistic and achievable goals.Strength training improves the body's ability to handle stress and should be balanced with rehab and fitness training.Adjust training programs to accommodate pain and focus on patterns and modifications to continue training.Chapters00:00Introduction06:11Fitness Routines14:39Mobility Work and Strength Training31:29Navigating Pain and Adjusting Programs
DM Us! We love chatting with our audience, please feel free to do so on Instagram and say what's up!Joe GambinoJoe LaVaccaWant to work with us? Apply here!Watch on YouTube here.Summary:In this episode we finish our discussion by talking about if and how we utilize the ACSM guidelines for physical activity with ourselves and our clients. We also discuss Strength Guidelines and how to navigate pain when exercising.
Join Brian and Sumeet Moghe as they discuss transforming the focus and efficiency of Agile teams in our always-on world. Discover how to master asynchronous work to enhance decision-making and improve team dynamics. Overview On this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian welcomes Sumeet Moghe, author of the Async First Playbook, in this enlightening episode as he explores the pivotal role of asynchronous work within Agile frameworks. Sumeet shares his insights on fostering deep focus, enhancing decision-making, and pragmatically adapting Agile practices to meet unique team needs. Delve into the challenges and strategies for securing team buy-in, balancing synchronous with asynchronous tasks, and building cohesion in distributed teams. This episode is packed with actionable advice on creating a supportive, safe, and productive environment through intentional communication and strategic face-to-face interactions. Tune in to reshape your team's approach to collaboration and productivity in the asynchronous era. Listen Now to Discover: [1:15] - Brian welcomes Sumeet Moghe, Transformation Specialist and Product Manager at Thoughtworks and author of The Asynch-First Playbook. [2:18] - Dive into Sumeet's captivating journey to mastering asynchronous work, exploring how his deep-seated passion sparked innovative approaches in his professional life. [5:11] - Brian expertly connects Agile principles to the unique challenges of asynchronous work, offering insightful solutions for today’s distributed work environments. [7:32] - Sumeet unveils critical insights from his extensive experience in asynchronous work, offering valuable lessons for mastering remote collaboration. [10:57] - Highlighting the challenges that conventional Agile practitioners encounter in asynchronous environments, Brian turns to Sumeet for practical solutions to address these issues constructively. [16:26] - Are you ready to take your Asynchronous work to the next level? Consider taking Mountain Goat Software’s Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® (ACSM) class to dive deeper into facilitating and thriving with an asynchronous team. To learn more, check out the Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule. [19:28] - Sumeet outlines effective strategies for conducting Sprint Planning sessions with asynchronous teams, ensuring smooth collaboration and productivity across different time zones. [24:32] - Sumeet addresses team building on asynchronous teams, highlighting and walking through the asynchronous application of the work of Amy Edmonson and Google’s Project Aristotle, developing psychological safety. [32:52] - To foster deeper trust and reduce conflicts, Sumeet advises using the cost savings from asynchronous work to facilitate in-person team interactions. [35:20] - Brian shares a big thank you to Sumeet for joining him on the show and bringing his unique experience to the conversation. [36:10] - If you enjoyed this topic, we invite you to share the episode with a friend or on social media. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on your podcast platform of choice. [37:19] - Do you have feedback or a great idea for an episode of the show? Great! Send us an email. [36:10] - If you’d like to continue this discussion, join the Agile Mentors Community. You get a year of free membership into that site by taking any class with Mountain Goat Software. References and resources mentioned in the show: Sumeet Moghe The Asynch-First Playbook by Sumeet Moghe Thoughtworks Sumeet's Photography The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson Advanced Certified ScrumMaster® (ACSM) Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Mountain Goat Software Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Join the Agile Mentors Community Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Sumeet Gayathri Moghe is a product manager, and design nerd at Thoughtworks, and author of The Asynch-First Playbook. Sumeet has worked on building software products and improving teams’ engineering effectiveness over diverse environments, building an approach that is versatile and can be effectively adapted across various industries to meet diverse needs. When he’s not at work building software, you’ll find him discovering the world through a camera’s eyepiece, photographing wildlife and wilderness.
Episode 330 - The Two Fit Crazies Boston Marathon 2024 Recap There is a reason the Boston Marathon is one of the toughest courses in the world. Just ask Brian and Christine! No matter how many times you face Boston, you will never be totally prepared for what the day has in store for you! Some years you battle through ice and snow. Other years it may be high winds or temperatures soar and leave you feeling ready to die even before you reach the hills of Newton. This podcast is one for the books! Listen up as one of the “fit crazies” talks about their best Boston experience guiding an athlete named Thomas with the Chris Nikic One Percent Better Foundation. Then, it is time to hear from the other “fit crazie,” who still ran an amazing race, discuss why they found themself “tossing their cookies” on the side of the road at mile 19.1. Can you guess who is who? Listen up to find out the highs and lows of this epic Boston Marathon 2024 weekend! There is nothing in the world like being in Boston on marathon weekend! Anything is possible! Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Chase Unicorns! Christine and Brian www.twofitcrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #bostonmarathon #chasingunicorns #boston #marathon #onepercentbetter #run #addidas #nike #humagel #maurtengel #bostoncopley #boyleston #beantown #redsox #runnersworld #runboston #partytime #frankturner #JSFrunners #London #LiverpoolFC #Paris #Paris2024 #olympics #wayout #ICAA #Rollga #Burnalong #njshore #tfcproductions #brick #track #USTAF
Episode 329 - Paul Galloro - CanFitPro 2023 Canadian Fitness Professional of the Year and Creator of ARISE “Joy is a birthright and is within us…I know who I am, and I am not going to question…” “My mission is to help people fall wildly in love with themselves.” -Paul Galloro Welcome to the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast featuring your favorite “fit crazies,” Brian and Christine. On today's episode, we welcome an award-winning health and wellness professional by the name of Paul Galloro! Paul, who joins us from just outside of Toronto, Canada, is here to ignite your soul and remind us all that “joy is our birthright and is within us!” Listen up to hear how Paul blends “modern sciences and ancient practices to help people fall wildly in love with themselves” through his ARISE program that is proven to change the quality of your life through brief daily morning practices for the mind and body! If you are looking for a little inspiration and wondering what steps you can take to start to love yourself, this is the podcast for you! Be sure to take some notes and learn more about Paul at www.PaulGalloro.com! Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Paul's Links and Sites: Website: www.paulgalloro.com Social media: @paulgalloro LinkedIn: Paul Galloro #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #bostonmarathon #canada #trainer #mindset #intentions #love #fitness #joy #retreats #paulgalloro #mastertrainer #awardwinning #speaker #NathalieLaCombe #LawrenceBiscontini #dailyroutine #ARISE #yoga #mindbody #happiness
Episode 327 - The Two Fit Crazies Catch Up - Christine Conti and Brian Prendergast aka Two Fit Crazies The Two Fit Crazies Take on March Madness and Youth Sports On today's episode of the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast, it is time for a “Two Fit Crazie Catch-up!” Brian and Christine sit down to talk about their most recent crazy events and fill you in on all the latest chaos! From March Madness predictions to Brian's most recent struggles with trying to understand over-the-top youth coaches, this episode is sure to make you rethink your views on humanity! However, before you have the chance to truly second guess yourself, it's time to start getting excited! The 128th Boston Marathon is just a few short weeks away! Pretty soon, the Fit Crazies will be back on Boylston Street chasing unicorns in the name of health! Brian's superhuman speed will once again be on display while Christine seeks her 11th consecutive Boston Marathon start to raise awareness for the Alzheimer's Association and act as a guide for Chris Nikic's Team 1% Better. Catch us if you can! Stay Fit! Stay Crazy! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com TFC Sites and Links: www.TwoFitCrazies.com TFCPro@TwoFitCrazies.com Christine@ContiFitness.net www.highfivehw.com #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #baseball #basketball #wrestling #marchmadness #NCAA #GoTerps #Brackets #upsets #bracketbuster #finalfour #coaches #youthsports #Bostonmarathon #run #track #travel #schools #ProfessionalDevelopment #speaker #author #Symmetry #running #OnePercentBetter #fun
I am bringing Sam Christy back on the pod for this episode! Sam is a registered dietitian, body-neutral personal trainer, and founder of Triple A Wellness in Cleveland, Ohio whose mission is to empower people to live their best lives through movement and balanced nutritional practices. We are talking about my personal trainer assessment (episode 53) and getting her perspective on it as a body neutral personal trainer. She has other factors to look for instead of just relying on a body scan to tell you about your body. She also gives advice to those who do these scans and end up feeling shame or guilt about what was said to them. You can follow Sam on Instagram @tripleawellnessbysam or on TikTok. You can check out her website www.tripleawellness.com. Ready for some new socks? Check out Sock Guy and use my code serena20 for 20% off your order! Want to talk more about this episode? DM me on Instagram @serenamarierd
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
