BCF Training Podcast

Dr. Yohuru Williams is a superhero in the academic world. He is Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Williams received his Ph.D. from Howard University in 1998. But, this Bridgeport, CT native was forced to reimagine his lifestyle and training routine in August of 2020 after gaining 20 pounds during the pandemic shutdown. He subsequently lost 50 pounds by modifying his diet and training practice and is in the process of setting new goals to stay focused and motivated as he approaches his 50th Birthday in September of 2021.

Mike Hess is a former colligate athlete who stayed active and competed regularly in basketball leagues. Things started to slow down to rounds of golf after marriage and the birth of his children. As Mike entered his forties, the competitive spark came back. He ran a 50 mile ultra marathon to raise $25,000 for Feeding America. He continued to challenge himself by competing twice in the 29029 Everesting challenges. And now, he is training for David Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge to run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. Find out how Mike prepares his body and gets his mind ready for extreme challenges and makes health and fitness part of his lifestyle.

Ariel shares her experience of doing the BCF Training 21 Day Challenge.

The challenge:

- Drink 1 gallon of water each day

- No alcohol

-No sugar. No food or drinks with added sugar

- No fried foods

- Eat raw green vegetables at least once a day

Eureka Robertson describes herself as a reluctant runner.  But her running over the past several years helped her heal as she dealt with life’s twists and turns. The catharsis she experienced led her to authoring two books based on years of running, soul searching and optimism.

Eureka is a member of Brookland Baptist Church where she serves on the Brookland Foundation’s Homeless Outreach Ministry. In the community, she is serving a second term as Chair for Palmetto Health Credit Union Board of Directors. She is a member of the Palmetto Health Foundation’s Volunteers In Action (VIAs). Eureka is an active member for Black Girls Run Columbia and also volunteers with Girls on The Run. She is a Life Member of the Gamma Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Eureka received a Master of Social Work degree and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of South Carolina. She is the immediate past chair of the Black Alumni Council of the My Carolina Alumni Association as well. She is employed with Sirius Computer Solutions as a Managed Services Operations Manager Operations.

Eureka originally hails from Greenville, SC where her mother still resides. She has one daughter, Aria who lives and works in Philadelphia.

Find out how Eureka is able to keep up her busy schedule and make health and fitness a lifestyle.

BCF Training website: https://www.bcftraining.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavonngilbert

On this episode of the BCF Training podcast, I talk to Ernest Morales, 1stDeputy Police Commissioner of the City of Mount Vernon. He recently retired from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) after serving with distinction for 30 years.  Ernest was a professional boxer before hanging up his gloves to pursue a career in law enforcement. He never reported sick during those 30 years and most recently served as the Executive Officer of Housing Borough Bronx/Queens. Ernest is a current member of the United States Navy reserves with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He is also a Deputy Commissioner with the New York State Athletic Commission that regulates all combat sports in the State of New York. Ernest is married and has four children. Somehow, he is able to be a devoted family man, rise through the ranks of law enforcement, and make time for health and fitness. Ernest is a member of the NYPD running club and has completed 24 marathons.  He is also the first member of the department to complete all 6 of the Abbott World Marathon majors. Find out how Ernest is able to make health and fitness part of his lifestyle.

This episode’s guest on the BCF Training podcast is Lauren Rice. Lauren is a talented professional with more than a decade of experience working for a Fortune 500 workforce solutions company. She has two teenage sons, 16 and 13, and is active in her community.

Lauren recently made fitness part of her lifestyle. She joined her college's black alumni fitness group and has never looked back. During a four month stretch, she walked over 700 miles. She is planning on joining the Run the Year Challenge for 2021 with a goal of 1,500 miles for the year. Find out how Lauren decided to make health and fitness a lifestyle.

On this episode of the BCF Training podcast, I talk to education administrator Sidney Bailey IV. Sidney was a casual runner after college. He enjoyed running 5Ks and 10Ks. But as his career started to take off, his activity decreased, and his weight increased to the point where he was close to 315 pounds by the time he was married. He had not seen a doctor in years. In October of 2015 when his weight reached 343, his wife, who was pregnant with their second child, urged him to see a doctor. He received the shocking news that he had thyroid cancer and needed immediate surgery. Fortunately, the procedure was successful, and Sidney was cancer free by April 2016. The events surrounding his cancer scared him into wanting to lose weight and get healthy. Find out how Sidney committed to changing his life and made health and fitness a lifestyle.

On this episode of the BCF Training podcast, I talk to entrepreneur and healthcare finance executive James Green. He runs two trucking companies and is a partner in a healthcare focused consultancy based in Chicago. As James was building his businesses and rising the corporate ladder, he had a health scare that lead him to changing his approach to his health and wellbeing.  Through a lot of hard work and research, he changed the course of his life and made health and fitness a lifestyle. Find out how James took control of his wellness, spends time with his family, and continues to build businesses.

On this episode of the BCF Training podcast, I talk to Dr. John Chondrogiannis. He is located in Scarsdale, NY and is one of Westchester County’s top dentist. John is a single parent raising three teenage children. He has an 18-year-old daughter, a 16-year-old daughter, and a 13-year-old son. Somehow, John is able to keep his practice thriving while making time for exercise, coaching his kid’s sports teams, and raising his children as a single dad. Find out how he’s able to prioritize it all and make health and fitness a lifestyle.

On this episode of the BCF Training podcast we have Linda Harelick. She is more than a breast cancer survivor. She’s a victor! Linda is more active than most people half her age. Find out how she defeated cancer, earned her doctorate after a 15+ year career as a marketing executive, and completed 17 triathlons. Linda has made health and fitness a lifestyle. She shares with us some great tips on how to make health and fitness part of your life like being around like-minded people and ways to be held accountable.