Conversations with Claire

“Front squats lead to greater improvements in jumping because you're going upwards, whereas hip thrusts lead to better improvements in acceleration because you're pushing forwards.” 

Joining us on the podcast is Bret Contreras, aka “The Glute Guy.” He is the inventor of the barbell hip thrust and has been a coach in the bodybuilding space for 26 years. He also has a Ph.D. in sports biomechanics and has whole-body programs available online.

In this episode, Bret shares how it all began, from being a scrawny kid with no confidence to getting in shape and being known as “The Glute Guy”. He talks about what sparked his interest in glute and hip training and walks through his discovery of the barbell hip thrust. He highlights the importance of squats and hip thrusts and why they should be part of all bodybuilding programs. 

Bret also explains why, on social media, people often disregard the advice of experts in favor of content that is less reliable but more entertaining. He also sheds light on the increasing popularity of non-experts in the fitness space.

This episode is for you if you want expert advice on developing your glutes and improve your jumping and motion.

Highlights

(00:54) Introducing Bret

(01:32) How Claire and Bret met

(03:14) Bret’s beginnings and how he got where he is.

(04:48) Bret’s idols

(06:58) Why Bret started developing his glutes

(10:59) Addressing why bodybuilders don’t train glutes

(14:47) What hip thrusts do for your movement

(15:55) The difference between squats and hip thrusts

(22:15) Why CrossFitters should be doing hip thrusts

(31:21) Bret dispels false beliefs about the effectiveness of glute exercise and hip thrusts 

(31:55) Bodybuilding in the face of social media ignorance and trolling

(37:36) How fitness concepts from non-experts gained popularity over expert guidance

(58:38) Bret’s advice for fitness trainers today

(1:00:46) How Bret trains and diets

(1:07:40) What Bret would like to do better

(1:08:35) Three things Bret is grateful for today

(1:13:30) Three things Claire is grateful for

Links:

• Website: Bret Contreras:

In another episode of Conversations with Claire, we are joined by Eric Leija also known as “Primal Swoledier”. Eric is an Onnit Academy Senior Kettlebell Coach. He specializes in kettlebell training courses but he also incorporates other training tools and methods into his routines to get the most out of every session. He's been coaching for over three years but has been working out and living a fit lifestyle for over 12 years.

What makes Eric so inspiring is the journey he has gone through to become the person he is today. Throughout his life, he’s battled eating disorders and binge eating, alcoholism and substance abuse, and imposter syndrome. In this episode, he describes his life's downward spiral and the subsequent upward trajectory.

It's impossible not to be captivated by Eric's journey from adversity to being the inspirational fitness coach he is today.

Episode Highlights

• (0:25) Introducing Eric Leija

Links:

• Website: https://www.ericleija.com/ 

In another episode of Conversations with Claire, we are joined again by Erin Monson. This time, Erin will talk about her experience with inner child work, which includes reflecting on difficult memories from childhood and forgiving those who have hurt her in the past.

If you want to resolve issues from your childhood, this episode is perfect for you! 

Highlights:

• (04:35) What is inner child work?

Links:

• Website: https://www.erinmonson.com/

“Go through every steps and just keep building the life that you want to design.” - Matt Choi

In another episode of Conversations with Claire, we are joined by Matt Choi. He is a Korean American Entrepreneur, Content Creator, and Athlete. He is best known for his football, running, and motivational related content on Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube. Matt was formerly a Division 1 football player, but now has set out on a journey to help people reach their full potential in their health and wellness journey and in life.

If you are an aspiring content creator, then this episode is for you!

Highlights:

• (04:43) When did Matt started playing sports?

Links:

• Instagram: Matt Choi (@mattchoi_6) • Instagram photos and videos

Many people cannot differentiate between spirituality and religion, although these are two distinct concepts. For many, a relationship with a higher power takes a back seat to a written law and how it's communicated by others. Religion is what these individuals go through. They try to practice it correctly while adhering to the set rules. And because they are imperfect people, they mess it up. Because of this, many people have the unfortunate experience of feeling excluded in that environment.

As a result, many wind up being their own higher power, leading to self-centeredness, pride, and disappointment because they continually let themselves down.

In 2019, Trey Steele founded The Hope Project. After serving on church staff for six years, Trey realized in order to reach more people with the Good News of the Gospel, he would need to take the message to them. As a veteran CrossFit coach and former gym owner, Trey saw the opportunity sitting in community fitness gyms like his around the globe. “People don’t join a community fitness gym, like a CrossFit gym, just to get fit. They join to be part of a community and something bigger than themselves.”

It’s community gyms where The Hope Project is focused. “What we’re really trying to do is build a community within the community. When we introduce The Hope Project to a gym, our goal is to ignite a movement for spiritual fitness. I started this with a vision that people could learn practical ways to explore and express their faith, all while in a fitness setting.”  Trey holds a Masters Degree in Christian Leadership, is married to his lovely wife Casey, and has three amazing children.

In this episode, you will learn the value of personal relationships with each other as humans and with a higher power, the difference between religion and spirituality, and how spirituality and fitness are related.

Episode Highlights

• (02:17) Claire's journey through religion and spirituality

Where to find Trey

Website: https://hopeinatx.org/ 

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

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hopeinatx 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hopeinatx 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100626241297770

When your team is growing, the challenge is how do we keep training leaders so that they can keep reproducing this kind of culture? It's hard to be a leader if you don't have self-leadership, if you don't have those tools to lead yourself, to catch yourself, listen to your narratives, question your narrative, to be flexible enough to explore how you might be able to get a lot of things done. You might be able to drive a team and revenue, but that's not leadership.

In another episode of “Conversations with Claire,” we are joined by Nick Goodin, COO, and co-founder of Ice Barrel. Nick is on a mission to help everyone reach peak health and well-being. 

Tune in as we learn how to build a culture in your team or company where people feel fulfilled that what they did was significant, that it went out and made a difference in the world.

Highlights

(03:37) The adventure of hunting leadership

(12:18) The true meaning of leadership

(15:35) Four(4) powerful driver statements that could lead you to find your own identity

(30:00) How to be coachable and perform better

(35:39) Powerful exercise tool that helps your mental resiliency

(52:00) Four(4) core values that your  team/company needs to cultivate and practice

(57:00) Useful meeting tools to bring out trust and vulnerability in your workspace 

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-goodin-761094181/

Knowledge, experience, and sound judgment are qualities that make someone wise. Wisdom is an important aspect that leads a person to a morally improved life. Therefore it is important for us to identify the different ways of acquiring these pearls of wisdom.

In another episode of Conversations with Claire, we are joined by Noah Huisman. He is a startup lawyer/investor, entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. Born in the Midwest, Noah's playground is now Austin, Texas. 

Tune in to this episode as Noah dives deep into how we can live a life in alignment with our soul so that what we do with our days is an outflow of who we are. I’m here to help you feed your flame.

(07:36) The idea that the malady moves with the man.

(13:23) Man's problems stem from his inability to sit in a room alone

(20:06) How Loneliness sprouts from the persona we used in the world

(22:55) How the truth hurts its beholder

(32:39) Why he loves Austin

(38:58) Introduction to his New Book

(48:11) Collateral Damage and Collateral Beauty

(50:58) “Dulcius Ex Asperis” means “Sweeter After Difficulties.”

(52:10) His own definition of Stoicism

(1:13:54) Why he loves writing

(1:19:35) Seed of Arrogance & Ego

(1:28:21 His mission in life

(1:35:45) Things his grateful for

Links:

• Website: https://www.noahhuisman.com/ 

From the time we are young, our parents, leaders, or peers impart ideas about who and what we should be, how the world works, or how to treat others. These thoughts put us in a state where we think they are the absolute truth. When we learn these things, our minds aren't developed enough to know what's true and what's not, and most of the time, they stop us from growing as individuals.

So, as we get older, we start to wonder if those beliefs are still valid for us. It is a place of freedom but can also be tough and uncomfortable.

Erin Monson, a relationship and body image coach, certified trainer, and nutritionist joins us to discuss this.

Erin grew up in a religion with many rules and no safe space to express herself and where one had to be a certain way to get the love one wanted. So she is here with us today to talk about how she became her true self and how she broke free from what society told her to be. In addition to this, she offers actionable guidance on how to liberate yourself from the constraints of society's conditioning and be authentic.

In addition, Erin explains what having a relationship with yourself means, the difference between strategic self and authentic self, and the need to practice awareness and mindfulness in the journey to being you. Erin highlights the five love languages and encourages us to practice them on ourselves. 

However, she does not downplay the need for relationship with others in growing as a person, citing an example from her personal life. Instead, she believes we are hardwired for authenticity but need other people to get there.

Episode Highlights: 

(07:25) What relationship with yourself means

(12:25) Erin's upbringing as Mormon and how it affected her

(16:25) Strategic versus authentic self

(18:15) How to transition from strategic self to being your authentic self

(18:25) The key to escaping the strategic self

(23:40) The need to practice awareness and mindfulness 

(24:40) Pinpoint your love language and practice it with yourself

(30:00) The connection between relationship with self and relationship with others

(33:13) Erin's recent dating and relationship experience

(52:00) Three things Erin is grateful for

Links:

• Website:  Erin Monson

Mentioned:

Jayson Gaddis: https://www.jaysongaddis.com/meet-jayson-2/ 

Food is more than just fuel. 

Our relationship with food is important, and it is something very personal that we all get to experience differently. But what if you suffer from an eating disorder? How will you improve your relationships with food?

In this episode of Conversations with Claire, we have our guest, Erin Monson. Erin is a Certified Personal Trainer, Relationships and Boundaries Coach, Self-worth and Body Image Coach, and Nutritionist. 

Today, we're going to focus specifically on your relationship with food, and what that journey has looked like for us, and we will also discuss some insights that might help you with your nutrition and how you can have better relationships with the food that you eat every day!

Highlights:

• (02:27) Getting to Know Erin Monson + Her experience with nutrition

Links:

Website:  Erin Monson

Instagram: Health & Fitness + Relationship Coach (@erinmonson) • Instagram photos and videos

Pregnancy and motherhood severely affect a woman's ability to maintain a profession while raising a family. Symptoms like gaining weight, illness, feeling exhausted, anxious, and depressed should even make it worse for women who participate in high-intensity activities like CrossFit. Pregnancy and motherhood have been identified by some research as the primary reasons why female athletes abandon their athletic careers or fail to realize their full athletic potential. In addition, the time necessary for competition and preparation may leave little room for motherhood.

Our guest today, Arielle Loewen, is an outlier. She is a two-time CrossFit Games athlete who qualified and competed at the games in 2021 and again in 2022. She is also a full-time wifey and mommy of a three-year-old daughter. 

In this episode, Arielle opens up about her unplanned pregnancy and how it made her feel guilty and ashamed. She discusses her experience with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period and how she felt it would impact her future in CrossFit. While she was expecting, she had an encounter with a person who changed the trajectory of her life. She is now living a bit of a dream: full-time wife, mom, and athlete at the same time. 

Highlights: 

• (05:50) The impact of Arielle's marriage and relationship on her profession.

Links:

Facebook: Arielle Loewen CrossFit Games Athlete

Instagram: Arielle Loewen💪 (@ariellearm)

Youtube: Arielle Loewen