In this episode of Beyond Sets & Reps, I sat down—literally in the recovery room at Summer Strong—with someone I’d never met until 20 minutes before hitting record: Dr. Jacob Lonowski. When I asked Bert Sorin who I should talk to out of hundreds of top-tier professionals, he didn’t hesitate with Jacob’s name. What followed was one of the most eye-opening conversations I’ve had, uncovering how Jacob’s winding path—from business consulting to strength and conditioning to PT school—ultimately led him to Virginia High Performance, where he’s now helping Navy SEALs and special operators heal and rebuild their lives. His insights on proximity, service, and scaling healing had me leaning in from start to finish.

Jacob shares how he’s learned to walk in the gray area between performance and recovery—physically, emotionally, and psychologically—and what it really means to serve others at the highest level. We dug into how trauma and sacrifice shape human performance, the challenges of working in elite military settings, and what young professionals get wrong when chasing a similar path. If you’ve ever wondered how to truly develop your personal potential and make a lasting impact, this conversation will absolutely make you think twice about what you're doing today and where you're headed tomorrow.

Big thanks to podcast sponsors, Sorinex and EliteForm, for making these episodes possible.