When everything feels important, everything starts to feel overwhelming. Josh breaks down three actions he uses to cut through the noise, focus on what he can control, and keep moving forward when the fight starts pulling his attention in too many directions.

Conquer grew from one squat rack in a backyard to a 1,500-square-foot studio and eventually an 8,000-square-foot gym.

Getting there meant learning how to take something that felt impossibly big and turn it into actions that could actually be handled one day at a time.

In this episode of Conquer Journal, Josh shares three things that continue to help him when the pressure builds.

Make the plan.
Write down where you are, where you want to go, and what you currently know needs to happen between those two points. Then research what you do not know and fill in the gaps.

Divide and conquer.
Bring people into the fight. Ask for perspective. Ask for help. Let someone else carry the part they are better equipped to carry.

Win the day.
Choose five things that move your goal forward. Two should be things you know you can complete. Three should push you a little further. Use the first wins to build momentum into the harder ones.

When things get loud, Josh comes back to one idea:

Control what you can control.

You do not need to solve everything today.

You need to know what moves the needle today.

CONQUER PROMPT

Write down three actions you can put into your day that will help you move forward.

ACTION 1:
__________

ACTION 2:
__________

ACTION 3:
__________

Now ask yourself:

Does each action keep me focused on what I can control?
Does it move me closer to the thing I am trying to conquer?
Does it reduce noise instead of adding more?

If not, remove it.

Your actions should make the fight clearer, not heavier.

Share your three actions with us. Someone else may need a tool that is already working for you.

CHAPTERS
00:00 What Is Helping You Most?
00:35 How to Lower the Pressure
01:04 From a Squat Rack to 8,000 Square Feet
01:46 Action 1: Make the Plan
02:56 Action 2: Divide and Conquer
03:42 Ask for Help
04:03 Action 3: Your Daily Five
04:48 When the Fight Gets Loud
05:21 Control What You Can Control
05:50 Silence the Noise With Progress
06:19 Move the Needle Today
06:56 When Growth Requires Letting Go
07:52 Clear Your Plate
08:33 The Conquer Prompt
09:11 Share Your Three Actions

WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOW
Watch, listen and follow Conquer Journal

CREDITS
Hosted by Josh Yakes
Produced by Mike Axe
Edited by Derek Kedell

Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

Where have you already made progress that you are not giving yourself credit for?

Josh Yakes looks back at how Conquer grew from one squat rack in his backyard to a packed grand opening, and why sometimes the proof that you are moving forward is already there. You just have to stop long enough to see it.

When you are deep in the fight, it is easy to only see what is left.

The next goal. The next problem. The next thing that needs to be done.

Josh knows that feeling.

During the pandemic, Conquer started with one squat rack in his backyard. From there came a risky jump into the first Conquer All Things Fitness Studio, long days, limited money, constant stress and no guarantee anyone would show up.

Josh was so focused on the work that he did not realize what was already happening around him.

Then 500 people showed up for the grand opening.

The fight was not over. The business had only opened.

But that moment forced Josh to stop and recognize something he usually moves past: progress.

In this episode of Conquer Journal, Josh talks about why acknowledging your wins matters, how pride can give you strength for the next part of the fight, and why you do not have to be finished to give yourself credit for how far you have already come.

Progress is proof that continuing is possible.

CONQUER PROMPT

Take a look at your own fight and fill this in:

Where I started:
__________

Where I am now:
__________

What changed:
__________

What is getting better:
__________

The progress I need to give myself credit for:
__________

Do not skip past it.

Look at what changed because you kept going.

Then share your Conquer Prompt with us. Your progress might be the proof someone else needs that theirs is possible too.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Where Have You Already Made Progress?
00:31 From One Squat Rack to Conquer
01:42 The Win Josh Almost Missed
02:26 When 500 People Show Up
02:56 Why We Miss Our Own Progress
03:29 Building Community Without Seeing It
05:25 The Work Nobody Sees
07:29 Fighting Through Doubt
08:24 Let Yourself Feel the Win
09:11 Why Pride Matters
10:07 Look at How Far You Have Come
10:46 Progress Is Proof
11:08 The Conquer Prompt

WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOW
Watch, listen and follow Conquer

CREDITS
Hosted by Joshua Yakes
Produced by Mike Axe
Edited by Derek Kedell

Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

What if the hundred things standing in your way are really one obstacle wearing a hundred different masks?

The excuses change. The circumstances change. The reason you tell yourself “not now,” “I can’t,” or “that life isn’t for me” might change too.

But underneath all of it, there may be one thing you have never been willing to name.

In this episode of Conquer Journal, Josh Yakes challenges you to find it.

Josh reflects on the limitations he once accepted around his disability and vision, the opportunities he missed because of them, and the moment he realized his eyes were not deciding the life he could live. He was.

He talks about the cost of holding onto an obstacle for years, why naming it gives you something you can finally face, and what can happen when you stop looking for a way around the thing in front of you and decide to go straight through it.

Because the obstacle may not only be standing in your way. It may be pointing directly toward the person you are capable of becoming.

Survivors are passive. Conquerors are active.

CHAPTERS
00:00 One Obstacle Wearing 100 Masks
00:27 What Is Really Standing in Your Way?
01:06 The Life Josh Was Told to Live
01:37 Find the Excuse You Keep Reaching For
02:12 When an Obstacle Becomes a Crutch
03:27 Naming It Takes Back the Power
03:57 My Obstacle Is…
04:10 What Has It Already Cost You?
05:28 What Will It Cost You in Five Years?
06:30 What If the Obstacle Is a Door?
06:59 Facing the Disability, Not Hiding Behind It
08:06 Is That Person Worth Becoming?
09:29 Survivor or Conqueror
10:23 Your Next Step
10:52 Conquerors Take Action

YOUR NEXT STEP
Finish one sentence:

My obstacle is __________.

Do not overthink it. Say it out loud. Write down the first honest answer.

Then ask yourself: What has this already cost me? And what will it cost me over the next five years if nothing changes?

Name it now. Next week, we turn it into a goal.

WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOW
Watch, listen and follow Conquer

CREDITS
Hosted by Joshua Yakes
Produced by Mike Axe
Edited by Derek Kedell

Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

What does it mean to conquer when the fight does not end?

For Josh Yakes, conquering is not about beating someone else. It is about strongly overcoming weaknesses and excuses, adapting when life changes the rules, and continuing to show up for the fight you are in.

In this episode of Conquer Journal, Josh shares what that looks like in his own life as his vision forces him to give up a full workday each week and rethink an identity built around working harder and longer.

He opens up about disability, sobriety, addiction, and the reality that some of the hardest things we face do not come with a finish line. Sometimes conquering means learning how to live with what you cannot change while taking control of what you can.

Reset. Refocus. Take the next action. Then do it again tomorrow.

CHAPTERS00:00 What Will You Leave in the Light?00:27 What It Really Means to Conquer01:08 When Your Body Forces a Change03:13 Redefining What It Means to Win04:28 The Fight Is With Yourself07:55 Learning to Live With the Fight10:56 Overcoming Weaknesses and Excuses12:15 When There Is No Finish Line14:38 Control What You Can Control16:42 Your Next Step

YOUR NEXT STEPChoose one thing you can add to your life that helps you in your fight, or one thing you can remove that is making the fight harder.

Then share it with us. What helps you keep showing up might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.

WATCH, LISTEN AND FOLLOW
httos://conquerjournal.conquerallthings.com

CREDITSHosted by Joshua YakesProduced by Mike AxeEdited by Derek Kedell

Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

What can I leave in the light if everything goes dark? Josh Yakes' vision is getting worse after 15 years of learning to manage achromatopsia, a rare genetic visual disability.

After losing his vision in his 20s and rebuilding his life, Josh shares what is changing now, how fitness helped him regain a sense of control, and why those experiences ultimately led him to build Conquer All Things.

In the first episode of Conquer Journal, Josh explores disability, vision loss, resilience, mental strength, community, and what it means to conquer when the fight is not over. Sometimes conquering means overcoming one excuse, moving through one obstacle, or doing one thing for yourself today that helps you keep going.

You are stronger and more capable than you know. No one fights alone.

JOIN THE CONVERSATIONWhat are you enduring, overcoming, or conquering right now? Follow Conquer Journal, share this episode with someone who may need it, and tell us where you are in your fight.

CHAPTERS00:00:00 Facing Worsening Vision
00:05:40 Growing Up Visually Disabled
00:09:31 Why Conquer Exists
00:14:13 What Conquering Really Means

CONTACT CONQUER JOURNALWatch, Share, and Follow Us Here:
conquerjournal.conquerallthings.com

CREDITSHost: Josh Yakes - @Joshua.YakesProducer: Mike Axe - @mikeaxeEditor: Derek Kedell - @derekkedellTheme Song From: Mike Axe - @mikeaxe