Imagine going from housewife to co-founder of a billion dollar company. Yeah, that was a “b” in front of that “-illion.” That’s what happened to this week’s Brute Strength Podcast guest, Lisa Bilyeu of Quest Nutrition and President of Impact Theory.
In this episode, Lisa shares some of the most significant tests and milestones she’s faced throughout her career as well as the journey that led to the early days of Quest Nutrition. She also provides an in-depth take on the power of mindset, tips for building strong relationships and strategies to create successful life habits.
Topics:
02:20 – Life before Quest Nutrition
12:23 – Setting goals in your relationship
23:00 – Quest Nutrition
29:25 – The “bad” batch
42:20 – “Everything is in my control”
48:00 – Success vs. health
58:20 – Impact Theory
Links:
Reviews:
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Noah Ohlsen is a five-time CrossFit Games athlete turned two-time Brute Strength podcast guest (but you may not see the latter in his Instagram bio).
Once known for his perfect hair and boyish smile, Noah has made a name for himself in the CrossFit community, proving time and time again what it means to come back from setbacks in the sport. Even with a few unlucky moments in his CrossFit Games career, he’s managed to place within the Top 10 in four of his last five Games appearances.
In this week’s episode, Noah recaps his experience at this year’s Wodapalooza. He gets honest about staying motivated in his training and how it’s changed since CrossFit officials announced changes to sanctioned events.
Topics:
04:15 – Wodapalooza 2019 recap
15:30 – Social media and fitness
21:26 – Sanctioned events, training and peaking
36:00 – Motivation
41:40 – Common training mistakes
Links:
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes us to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
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Whether you’re looking to improve your current love life or expand your non-existent one — you’ll want to hear what the love guru, Jayson Gaddis from The Relationship School, has to say.
On this week’s episode, Jayson’s covering topics of attracting an ideal partner, the taboo of polyamory vs monogamy in the modern world, the many nuances that we find in modern love like marriage and divorce, and how to understand when to walk away from a relationship.
Topics:
09:23 – Marriage and divorce
12:41 – Vulnerability in relationships
16:15 – Sex in relationships
27:30 – How to attract a partner
35:00 – When to step away from a relationship
45:00 – The best rituals for your relationship
Links:
Books:
Sex at Dawn – Christopher Ryan
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes us to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
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Adam Feit has been teaching people how to win from an early age. As an adult, that mentality carried over into his career as he became a coach and worked with athletes at all levels, including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and college football teams like the University of Louisville.
Even though he was living what many, including Adam, considered the dream, something clicked that it was time for change. That’s when he decided to open a sports performance center for kids.
This week, the coach, athlete and entrepreneur joins our host Michael Cazayoux on the Brute Strength Podcast to teach you the power of starting small and how small habits can lead to big results.
Topics:
01:15 – Childhood
12:00 – Joe Kenn and The Tier System
16:13 – Working in the NFL
21:05 – Finding Precision Nutrition
24:50 – The autonomy of supportive coaching
40:00 – Starting small
Links:
Books:
Atomic Habits – James Clear
Deep Work – Cal Newport
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave me a review. It energizes me to keep doing these as well as pushes us higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support.
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Students, you’re going to want to get your notebooks ready because Brent “The Professor” Fikowski is taking us to school on the Brute Podcast this week.
Brent is a three-time CrossFit Games athlete, placing second in the 2017 Games, and after this episode, you’ll understand how he’s remained one of the sport’s top four male athletes since 2016.
Even though Brent is “The Professor,” he brings a mindset to the game that can’t be taught—the mindset of a competitor. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had his ups and downs in the sport.
Listen to this week’s episode to learn more about what you can do to emulate that mindset, what it’s like to compete against the fittest athletes in the world and how he almost left CrossFit in 2015.
Topics:
01:00 – Sanctioned events
06:20 – Early competitive career
26:50 – Starting CrossFit
35:20 – Transformation year
43:20 – First experience at the CrossFit Games
1:16:30 – “The Professor Project”
Links:
Books:
The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance – George Mumford
Burn Your Goals: The Counter Cultural Approach to Achieving Your Greatest Potential – Joshua Medcalf
Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great – Joshua Medcalf
The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance - Josh Waitzkin
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes us to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
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What exactly does it take these days to be nicknamed the Mad Scientist? Are we talking Doc Brown in a DeLorean cruising through a space-time continuum, or is it more of a beaker and test tube vibe?
Whatever the case, we’re stoked to have the modern-day Mad Scientist and world-renowned strength athlete and coach Chris Duffin on the Brute Strength podcast this week for his second episode.
In Chris’ first episode, we learned about the upbringing that shaped his mentality for creating Kabuki Strength. This week, we’re talking shop on increasing your strength, the correlation between whiskey and deadlifts, working around your injuries and the benefits of a ShouldeRök (not to be confused with the popular dance movement based on rocking your shoulder back and forth—if you’re feeling it though, do you).
Topics:
01:20 – “Whiskey and Deadlifts”
10:30 – Shiny object syndrome
15:20 – Minimum effective dose principle
22:00 – Benefits of a ShouldeRök
54:30 – Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)
58:00 – Hamstring tears and rehab
Links:
Books:
The Obstacle Is the Way – Ryan Holiday
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes us to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
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Michael is taking a backseat to hosting the Brute Podcast this week as Adee Cazayoux joins the podcast to interview him for the second time since Episode 46.
On their first episode, Michael shared his story of overcoming drug addiction, finding CrossFit and the moments in his life that led to the creation of Brute Strength.
This week, Adee’s line of questioning has them diving into various topics including what it’s like to make the first move in friendships as you get older, qualifying for the 2017 CrossFit Regionals, personal development advice and tips for creating good habits—ya know, besides leaving the house with pants on every morning.
Topics:
04:00 – Making friends when you’re older
10:30 – Qualifying for the 2017 CrossFit Regionals
20:45 – Personal development
26:00 – Creating a vision for your future
38:30 – Habits
Links:
Books:
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing – Daniel H. Pink
Deep Work – Cal Newport
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes Michael to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
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Author, ultra-marathon runner, and retired United States Navy SEAL, David Goggins joins the Brute Strength Podcast this week for an incredible story of suffering and success.
David Goggins is a retired Navy SEAL and the ONLY member of the U.S. Armed Forces to complete SEAL training, including three Hell Weeks, the U.S. Army Ranger School, where he graduated as Enlisted Honor Man, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller training.
This episode is all about pushing the limit, craving discomfort, facing death and defying all odds. Strap in for an inspirational story and a close look at what happens when you make suffering a habit.
Topics:
02:37 - Abusive childhood
10:00 - Craving discomfort
15:00 - Seal training
26:05 - Improving your self-talk
28:32 - “Kindling”
Links:
Books:
Can’t Hurt Me - Goggins
Reviews:
If you love this podcast please click HERE to leave me a review. It energizes me to keep doing these as well as pushes us higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support.
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Pediatrician Michelle Perro, MD, joins the Brute Strength Podcast to discuss the issues with GMOs in our food system.
Michelle is a veteran clinician with 35+ years of experience in pediatrics and integrative medicine. She is well known for her book What’s Making Our Children Sick?: How Industrial Food Is Causing an Epidemic of Chronic Illness, and What Parents (and Doctors) Can Do About It.
This episode is all about holistic medicine, improving your fitness through diet, and what you need to know about GMOs and their effect on your health.
Topics:
05:00 - Posture
09:30 - Holistic medicine & GMOs
19:30 - Toxicity of food
27:35 - Gut issues
36:40 - Improving fitness through diet
41:10 - Gut issues related to ADHD
47:30 - Keto diet
Links:
Books:
What’s Making Our Children Sick?
Reviews:
If you love this podcast please click HERE to leave me a review. It energizes me to keep doing these as well as pushes us higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support.
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Elite influencer and sports marketing guru, Matt O’Keefe, joins The Brute Strength Podcast for the second time after his original debut on episode 47. This week he’s going to dive deeper into his growing apparel line, Redline Gear, and share inside stories about what it’s like managing top-tier athletes such as CrossFit champ Mat Fraser. He’s also got some great tips for those looking to make a career out of training and competing.
Topics:
02:50 - Redline Gear and Mat Fraser
11:55 - Loud & Live Sports
22:00 - New structure of CrossFit
32:10 - Making a career out of training and competing
38:00 - Tips for managing athletes
Links:
mokeefe@loudlive.com
Reviews:
If you love this podcast please click HERE to leave me a review. It energizes me to keep doing these as well as pushes us higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support.
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Kabuki Strength’s Chris Duffin, aka the “Mad Scientist of Strength,” joins the Brute Strength Podcast to discuss his “survivor mentality.”
Chris lived a secluded life early on, raising his sisters in a not-so-affluent atmosphere. His story then becomes one of triumph and tribulation as he later goes on to set the world record as the only man to deadlift 1,000 lbs for a double.
This episode is all about the mindset, strength and importance of goal-setting that got him there.
Topics:
07:07 – Growing up in the woods
36:10 – Survivor mentality
42:27 – Tying priorities to goals
52:00 – Powerlifting
Links:
kabukistrength.com
@mad_scientist_duffin
Brute Strength: Pick Your Program
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes us to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
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On our 116th episode, Procabulary’s Mark England made us think about the true power of our words and vocabulary.
Mark makes his second appearance on the Brute Podcast this week to peel back the layers of the power of language and the physiology of breath.
Topics:
05:40 - Stories we tell ourselves
13:45 - Physiology of breathe
20:00 - Taking action against goals
25:10 - The power of because
Links:
Procabulary
Instagram
Books:
The Power of Persuasion: How We’re Bought and Sold – Robert V. Levine
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes Michael to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
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Rick Alexander wants you to burn your couch, and he even wrote a book about it. The author, Lionheart Radio host, and Navy Special Ops Combat Medic joins this week’s Brute Strength Podcast.
In this episode, Rick gets into his “Bucket List Blueprint” for long-term goal setting and breaking out of your comfort zone.
Topics:
03:00 – “Burn Your Couch”
14:45 – Military time
22:13 – Long-term contentment
36:00 – Ultramarathons
42:00 – Hallucinations
49:13 – Bucket List Blueprint
Links:
Books:
Burn Your Couch – Rick Alexander
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes Michael to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
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Crowd favorite John Berardi of Precision Nutrition is returning to the Brute Podcast for round two this week. In the first half of the podcast, Michael and John discuss the wisdom, mentorship and goal-setting rituals that John credits with making him a better husband, father and business leader.
In the second half, we’re talking body. John and Michael will dive into gut health, tips for dieting while traveling, nutrition recommendations for kids and how he educates his family on overall health and proper nutrition.
Topics:
04:00 – Wisdom & mentorship
09:36 – Goal-setting rituals
25:00 – Nutrition & awareness
45:10 – Instilling positive habits
56:00 – Gut health
1:03:00 – Diet & travel
1:07:30 – Kids & nutrition
Links:
Books:
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking – Susan Cain
Principles: Life and Work – Ray Dalio
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes Michael to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
Follow us on Instagram @brute.strength.
Hannah Eden went from a life of drugs and partying to an online fitness inspiration, and this week, she joins Michael on the Brute Strength Podcast.
In this episode, Hannah recounts her personal fitness transformation, what it means to take risks and follow your passions, and how she’s come full circle to help others do the same.
Topics:
11:30 – Outside-in vs. inside-out
17:40 – Making a transformation
31:45 – Working with your significant other
38:00 – Respond, don’t react
41:30 – Mindset shift
51:00 – Hustle in silence
Links:
Instagram: @pumpfit_club and @hannaheden_fitness
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review. It energizes Michael to keep going as well as pushes the podcast higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support!
Follow us on Instagram @brute.strength.
You don’t have to be in a relationship to benefit from this week’s Brute Podcast. Special guests Pete Pearson and Ellyn Bader of The Couples Institute join Michael Cazayoux to discuss the importance of communication, which, as an acquired skill in human interaction, everyone can benefit from.
In this episode, relationship professionals Pearson and Bader will provide tips on creating a vision for your relationship, creating a team dynamic, rewiring your approach to arguments, and rituals you can implement for a healthy relationship.
Topics:
04:20 – Founding The Couples Institute
09:20 – Collective vision
13:00 – Three questions to focus your relationship
14:00 – Communication technique
16:00 – Fighting in relationships
22:40 – Building emotional muscle
27:20 – How to get out of a fight
29:00 – Accountability in relationships
37:50 – Rituals for a healthy relationship
39:20 – Resolving conflicts around your kids
Links:
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave a review. It pushes us higher in the rankings and energizes Michael to keep bringing you great content! Thank you for all the support!
Follow us on Instagram @brute.strength.
Ever wonder what it takes to be coined with a name like the Grocery Ninja? Matt Walrath, the man behind the nickname, and his company Beyond Macros have helped hundreds of clients transform into stronger, more confident versions of themselves.
In this episode, Matt gets real about why most diets fail, how to build a better relationship with food, his advice on nutrition and macros, and why seeing your friends naked can be one of the most freeing experiences in your life. You won’t want to miss this one.
Topics:
01:55 – How to be vulnerable
13:40 – “Beyond Macros”
16:00 – Why do diets fail?
24:30 – Life coaching
34:35 – The naked truth
46:40 – The art of storytelling
Links:
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave a review. It pushes us higher in the rankings and energizes Michael to keep bringing you great content! Thank you for all the support!
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This week we have a special Brute Podcast featuring the entire Brute Strength staff, including Nick Sorrel, Adrian Conway, Michael Cazayoux, Nick Fowler and Dr. Sean Pastuch.
Tune in to hear their collective thoughts on recent changes in the CrossFit community, what they believe this means for athletes hoping to qualify for the Games, and how to professionalize coaching within the community.
Topics:
01:05 – Reacting to the changes in CrossFit
05:50 – The Games
26:00 – Affiliate programming vs. Games programming
38:00 – Professionalized coaching in CF
50:15 – Changes in training season &, peaking
1:06:00 – Teams
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave a review. It pushes us higher in the rankings and gives Michael the energy to keep bringing you fresh content. Thank you all for the support!
Follow us on Instagram @brute.strength.
When Adee and Michael Cazayoux team up for anything, you know the outcome is going to be epic. This week’s Brute Strength Podcast is no exception, as Adee Cazayoux is back to focus on personal development and relationship advice with her husband and our host, Michael Cazayoux.
Together, they’ll share stories about their first experience at Burning Man, delve into expectations and reality, personal breakthroughs, and getting naked with 500+ people. Listen now to learn their biggest takeaways and how they’ve already begun implementing them into their daily lives.
Topics:
03:00 – Burning Man: expectation vs. reality
12:25 – What we learned
16:20 – Opening ceremony & intention
29:00 – Personal breakthroughs
46:30 – Lessons on relationships
Books:
Stealing Fire – Kotler
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave a review. It pushes us higher in the rankings and energizes Michael to keep bringing you great content! Thank you for all the support!
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Floyd McLendon Jr. has had a huge impact on Michael Cazayoux’s life since they first met at SealFit, and this week he’s joining the Brute Podcast. Floyd has faced failure, disappointment, heartbreak and discrimination growing up, but ultimately he came out on top. Now, as a former Navy Seal, he’s imparting his leadership knowledge to those he comes in contact with.
In this episode, the author of Hard Earned Lessons dissects what he calls the “Seven Principles for Preparing for Battle.” Enjoy the show!
Topics:
03:00 – Meeting Floyd at SealFit
16:05 – Becoming a Navy Seal
36:40 – Seven Principles for Preparing for Battle
1:19:00 – Future in politics
Links:
Books:
Hard Earned Lessons – McLendon Jr.
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave a review, and thank you for the support!
Follow us on Instagram @brute.strength.
On this week’s podcast we welcome the battle rope guru, Aaron Guyett. Aaron is a man who wears many hats including fitness instructor, business owner and Marine Corps Staff Sergeant. In this episode we’ll be getting into leadership, mindset shifts and how to create a vision to get exactly what you want out of life. Tune in to learn more about how Aaron used neuroplasticity training to achieve 90 percent of his greatest accomplishments in life.
Topics:
02:00 – Aaron’s definition of leadership
20:50 – “VIM”
26:10 – Creating a vision
30:45 – Neuroplasticity training
35:00 – Myths about leadership
42:40 – “The goal is not the goal”
Links:
thespecialforcesexperience.com
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave me a review. It energizes me to keep doing these as well as pushes us higher in the rankings. Thank you all for the support.
Follow us on Instagram @brute.strength.
CrossFit is evolving, and so is three-time CrossFit Games athlete Patrick Vellner. This week, he joins the Brute Podcast to discuss his mind shift in the sport, why he may be one of the only athletes that can beat Mat Fraser and some of the new changes to the CrossFit community.
Topics:
05:10 – Life before CrossFit
16:30 – Accidentally qualifying for the CrossFit Games
24:30 – Mind shift from 2017 to 2018
40:00 – New announcements in CrossFit
56:00 – Balancing life and CrossFit
Links:
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave a review, and thank you for the support!
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Adee Cazayoux, founder of Working Against Gravity, makes her third appearance on the Brute Podcast this week to talk about personal development. In this episode, Adee talks about building courage, maintaining accountability and what it means to develop yourself from within. Listen along and get an honest look at self-improvement with her six questions to make you think, break out of the ordinary cycle and reach the next level in life.
If you enjoyed this episode, catch up with all things Adee and be sure to check out episodes 148 and 162 of the Brute Podcast.
Topics:
01:10 – What is personal development?
09:25 – Myths of personal development
21:50 – How to build courage & accountability
28:40 – Integrity made simple
38:25 – Tips for developing yourself
47:00 – Building self-awareness
51:15 – Six questions to find your next breakthrough
Links:
Books:
Daring Greatly – Brene Brown
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave a review, keep Michael energized and push us higher in the rankings! Thank you for all the support.
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Rachel Balkovec, the first female strength and conditioning coach in professional baseball, makes her second appearance on the Brute Podcast this week! Rachel grew up adamant to break out of her comfort zone, and shares her tips for personal and professional development, like falling in love with the process rather than the outcome.
Listen this week to understand why this passionate coach thinks you should support the people around you minimally, as well as her personal coaching philosophies you can adapt into your lifestyle.
Topics:
04:00 – Intentional vs. unintentional growth
13:15 – Mentors & coaching
22:06 – Defining a good coach
39:00 – “Minimally supporting others”
47:30 – Performance Pyramid
51:15 – Coaching methods
Links:
Books:
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance – Duckworth
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave us a review! Thank you for all the support.
Follow us on Instagram @brute.strength.
Dr. Stephan Guyenet is on the Brute Podcast this week to dive into his book, The Hungry Brain. Hunger is one of the strongest biological influencers for survival in all species, but is it a physical or mental need?
Tune in as host Michael Cazayoux and Dr. Guyenet define hunger, how it influences decisions and how to hack the process in order to take control of cravings and improve eating behavior.
Topics:
06:35 – Eating behavior
14:50 – What is hunger?
20:04 – Fasting & calorie restriction
38:45 – Sleep, stress and hunger
42:00 – Making a change in your eating
55:30 – Food choices for children
Links:
Books:
The Hungry Brain – Guyenet
Reviews:
If you love this podcast, please click HERE to leave a review, and thank you for all the support!
Follow us on Instagram @brute.strength.
