In this episode of Do It Anyway, we’re taking a break from spreadsheets and heart rate zones to dive into the story behind one of the most dedicated trainer/coaches I know.

Ross shares his incredible journey of moving from Ireland to the United States and the hidden battles he faced along the way. We discuss his path through addiction and alcoholism, and the pivotal moment he decided to reclaim his full potential.

You’ll hear how he navigated social anxiety to not only build a successful personal training business but also to step into the arena as a high-level competitive athlete himself. This is a conversation about resilience, the reality of "starting over," and why your past doesn't define your path forward.

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Can you build elite barbell strength without sacrificing your marathon engine? In this episode of Do It Anyway, I sit down with Ross Dempsey, one of the Bay Area’s most respected trainers and a staple of the San Francisco running community.

Ross is an accomplished road runner known for his work leading the Progression Run Club, but he’s currently on a mission to push the limits of his strength. We dive deep into the "Hybrid Athlete" reality: managing the interference effect, the specific mechanics of strength training for runners, and the mental discipline required to chase conflicting goals.

If you’re a runner looking to get strong or a lifter looking to build an engine, this episode is your roadmap.

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In the continuation of my conversation with Kenan, we learn how his family's motto - "Only The Strong Survive" - shaped both his ambition and lasting insecurity. Years later, after learning to more deeply understand his childhood and early adulthood, he's surrounded himself by positive influences and found productive outlets to create a life that he's proud of.

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Kenan is an old friend and once-client of mine. We had the unique opportunity to get on a bodybuilding stage together as client and coach in my final season as a teen competitor. Coming from a background of extremely high level childhood competition, he lost that drive somewhere along the way. Thankfully he rediscovered it in bodybuilding and much of what he learned on his way to the stage still informs his approach to fitness today. That said, he (like most of us) has had some trouble getting it right now that he's got big boy responsibilities to deal with.

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In this continuation of my conversation with Davis, we explore the experience of venturing into uncharted territory to build a career around your passion. Davis asks me some pointed questions about what it was like dropping out from UCLA to build my first business and I share with him a handful of ways that I've screwed up in hopes that he avoids making the same mistakes in his career as an Actor/Model. This one just may be my favorite episode so far.

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In this episode, I'm joined by my tallest and most famous Actor/Model cousin - Davis Yasuda. We dig into his experience playing college baseball and earning a scholarship for javelin and how competition laid the foundation for his fitness. We talk specific strategies for someone who needs to maintain a very specific look and level of fitness - all while juggling travel and long days on set. Whether or not you're an actor yourself, many of these strategies will still apply to anyone maintaining an atypical work schedule.

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Past the pursuit of Cross Country competition and Natural Bodybuilding, Derek and I dig into the things that made him who he is. From dealing with multiple tragedies in a short span of time, to learning how to be emotionally articulate for his most important relationships, and deluding himself into the highest degree of confidence - we've got all of that and more in Episode #6.

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Not so long ago, Derek was competing at the collegiate level in Cross Country. From low 4-minute miles to a 15-minute 5k, he got used to doing whatever it takes to pursue performance at the highest level. In this episode, we learn how he uses all the wisdom and determination from years of running to build muscle rapidly and prep for his first ever season of competitive bodybuilding.

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Continuing our conversation with Joe Cicero - founder of The Yard - we dig into his history of playing football in college, laying an early foundation for consistent training, and the unique challenges he's faced in managing himself and his businesses while building his own fitness.
We'll break down the approach he's adopted to build muscle, lose fat, and prep for his next competition without compromising in life or business. Many of the lessons here and pieces of Joe's approach will apply to any of you who feel that your lives are exceptionally busy.

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The Yard
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In this episode, we sit down with Joe Cicero - founder of The Yard - to talk about the inception of the reservation-based fitness model, empowering personal trainers to scale their own businesses, and his transition from a 9 to 5 into entrepreneurship. In Episode #4 we'll dive into the unique challenges he's faced in his own fitness and the approach he's adopted to build muscle, lose fat, and prep for his next competition without compromising in life or business.

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The Yard
The Yard on Instagram
Joe's Instagram

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