This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

My guest this week is Jen, also known as fitpinup37 on Instagram.  Jen has an amazing transformation and a personality that to match.  If you know Jen you will know how real and raw she is in her posts and this is exactly what led me to reach out to her to be a guest on the podcast.  

I can remember her transformation post, but it wasn't the post that caught my attention, it was the caption she wrote along with it.  She was telling people how it really is, what it really takes to lose weight and be successful.

Jen wasn't always this passionate about her fitness and health though.  Jen spent her teenage and young adult years following The Grateful Dead around the country.  This lifestyle led her to eat at gas stations, fast food joints, and drinking.  She didn't know the toll this was taking on her until she went to put her jeans on one morning and they were tight.  Jen knew at this point she needed to make a change but like many of us, she didn't know where to start.  

Jen took the scariest step of her life in the right direction and she joined a local gym.  She didn't know what to do, where to start or how to workout but she knew she needed to join a gym to start.  She went in and walked a mile for the first time and in her words, she felt like she was going to die.  Jen kept going back though, she kept working out and she began reading every magazine she could get her hands on that focused on health.  

Jen really began to she changes when she started doing CrossFit.  She found that her coaches not only taught her about the exercises, but also the nutrition.  She fell in love with CrossFit from her first class and she has been going ever since.  Jen knew that before CrossFit she didn't have a healthy relationship with food, but since the beginning, she now has a healthy relationship with food and understands its importance when it comes to performance.  

I really enjoyed this wide-ranging conversation with Jen and I hope you do to!

 

Jen's Instagram

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This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

My guest today is one that the longtime listeners will remember.  Adam Jones is back and he is here to fill us in on everything that has been going on with Drink Peloton.  When we sat down for the first time Adam filled us in on the new tea that Drink Peloton was launching along with their cold brew coffee.  

Since that time Adam has been out grinding big time to get Cascara Tea into some big retailers here on the east coast.  We get a chance to dive deep with Adam on how he has gotten in front of the decision makers to get his product stocked on the shelves.  Adam is out there pounding the pavement and making this happen, he's not waiting around for someone to come to him. 

I hope you enjoy this awesome conversation with Adam!

 

Drink Peloton Website

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Adam's first episode on the podcast

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This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

My guest this week on the show is Coach Wes.  Wes and I got connected because one of my followers suggested I reach out to him and get connected for a podcast and I am SO glad they did.  

I started following Wes awhile back on Instagram and I knew right away that he was someone who would fit the podcast PERFECTLY and he did.  Wes started his journey in the food industry, very similar to previous podcast guest Jared Simons.  Wes learned a lot in that industry while he was helping them open restaurants.  He was in this industry for about five years and he saw A LOT in those five years.  Unfortunately, he became burned out in this industry given how fast and hard it is.  

After his time in this industry, Wes decided to chase his love in art and he went to a tattoo shop to seek out an apprenticeship.  He started from the bottom here.  He walked in and asked if he could clean the shop, the bathrooms, whatever needed to be done.  He showed up day in and day out just doing anything that needed to be done.  Wes never asked when he would get a space, when he could start tattooing, he just wanted to learn everything he could.   Wes was actually helping the owner build a new space for a tattoo artist and he didn't realize it was actually for HIM!

Wes began doing tattoos at this shop full time and fell in love with it, but he knew he could become better.  He went on to grow his own shop before he couldn't tattoo anymore.  While this was going on Wes brought in a partner who was interested in fitness.  He began helping with his partner's shop and found his love for bike fitting and coaching.  This also began to run its course though because they did not see eye to eye on what they wanted for their shop.  Wes and his partner ended up going their separate ways so they could pursue their own dreams.  

Wes began coaching and training clients and doing bike fittings.  He was loving this but knew that he always wanted more.  He began to crunch the numbers and he just couldn't see how he could make a living owning a gym without working crazy hours.  He knew this was what he wanted to do but he also knew he had to figure some things out.  He didn't want to be one of the big box gyms, he wanted to be DIFFERENT.

This is when Wes found the Self Made Training Facilities and he was skeptical for sure but he wanted to learn more.  So Wes and his partner flew out to California with the thought that this was too good to be true and they were going to listen to the pitch and then go skiing for a few days.  This is not exactly how it went down though, they fell in love with the idea and they couldn't really find a reason NOT to do it.  The decision was made and they knew when they got back to Ohio they were launching their own location.  

Wes has one speed and it is GO!  All the time with anything he is doing.  He is in 110% on everything that he does and it has to be perfect.  I really enjoyed sitting down with him and I can't wait to do it again!

 

I hope you enjoy this interview with Wes!

 

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This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

This week I am so excited to bring you my follow up interview with Ginny Cataldi!  I have been waiting to bring you this interview and after the amazing season Ginny had, this interview got that much better.  

For those of you who have not listened, you can check out my first interview with Ginny here.  In this interview, we get a chance to dive in and hear about how Ginny started her triathlon journey.  For this episode, we focus on Ginny's 2018 season and some of the amazing accomplishments she had this year.  

We also spend some time talking about the recent injury she has been recovering from since crossing the finish line at Ironman Maryland this year.  Ginny didn't realize the extremely high tolerance she had for pain until she was seen by some doctors and she learned the extent of her injuries.  Although this is a tough time for her, Ginny is optimistic about her recovery and she is looking forward to getting back to training and racing when the time is right.  

We also had a chance in this episode to answer some questions from our followers on social media ranging from whether or not Ginny will be in Kona this year, her favorite music while training, if Ginny is her real name and much more.

I hope that you enjoy this follow up conversation with Ginny!

 

Notable mentions in this podcast:

My First Interview with Ginny

My Interview with John and Laura

My Interview with John Schlosser

 

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This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

This week I am so excited to bring you this interview with someone who I have been waiting to get on the podcast!  My guest this week is Jared Simons.  Jared is a vegan triathlete who is also the chef and owner of the restaurant called No Name.  Jared had so much to offer and it was hard to keep it to an hour but I wanted to respect his time because I know that he is a VERY busy guy.  

Jared entered into the food service industry at a young age.  When he began working his first job, he remembers being "demoted" to the kitchen because he was a punk rocker and he changed his hair color to red.  Little did Jared know how much this would play into his career choice for the rest of his life.  He quickly moved through the ranks of a dishwasher to helping prep appetizers for the guests in this restaurant.  Jared immediately fell in love with the kitchen and he knew this is what he wanted to do for his career.  

Jared remembers the initial kickback from his family when he told them that he wanted to go to culinary school.  His parents both had very successful careers and he remembers his family asking why he didn't want to go to school to become a doctor or something of the likes.  Jaren knew this just wasn't for him and he wanted to go to culinary school and so he did.  

After schooling Jared made his way back into the food service industry, starting at the bottom as many do.  Before long though, Jared had an opportunity to start his own restaurant with the guy from his first ever restaurant.  Although young and inexperienced in the business world, Jared took a chance and owned his first restaurant in his young twenties.  

after spending many years in this industry, he began to take a toll on Jared's body thought.  He remembers waking up in the morning and just being drained.  He was tired, didn't want to get up and knew that he was in very poor health.  He knew it was time to make a change but he did not have the money to do so.  Being resourceful though, Jared struck a deal with a restaurant customer.  In exchange for some personal training, Jared promised to feed his new trainer lunch every day.  This was the jumpstart that Jared needed to get going.  Before long he fell in love with working out and began to see and FEEL the changes in his health. 

Jared remembered reading about one of his punk rock heroes John Joseph and how he was fifty years old and doing Ironman Triathlons.  Jared thought, man this guy is the epitome of health and that's what I want.  So Jared decided a triathlon would be his next fitness goal and he signed up for his first Olympic distance race.  

Before even completing this race, Jared signed up for two additional races that year!  He was loving the training so much that he knew before even doing his first race that he was going to love it.  Love it he did, and he has not stopped competing since then.  Joining a tri club in Los Angeles to gain as much knowledge as he possibly could.  Jared describes how important joining this club was, not for the training but because of the amount of knowledge he gained from his fellow athletes in the club.  

Jared has since competed in countless triathlon races and he chronicles his training journey on Instagram.  I really enjoyed getting the chance to catch up with Jared on this weeks episode and I hope you enjoy our conversation!

 

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Notable mentions in this show:

John Joseph Instagram

John's New Book

Rich Roll Podcast

Los Angeles Triathlon Club

This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

My guests this week are John and Laura Torres.  Yes, that is right, my first couples interview!  This was so much fun and I can't wait to share it with you.  

John and Laura both have very different avenues that they took to get into triathlon.  John was an elite level swimmer while he was living in Puerto Rico.  He began swimming young and found success in Puerto Rico.  John was afforded the opportunity to come to the U.S. and continue his swimming here at Rutgers University.  After discovering that the English barrier coupled with the course load was a bit too much he walked away from swimming and his education.  This is when John began to put on some weight.  Given John's background in swimming though he always wanted to do a triathlon.  He discovered the NBC broadcast of the Ironman and he knew he wanted to do a triathlon.  After meeting a friend at a social gathering, John learned that she was doing a triathlon and this sparked his interest, he knew it was time.  

John completed his training cycling and it was time for his first race.  He was so nervous at the start of the race and he can remember complaining about even being there.  After the race John recalls saying to his friend that he would never do one again.  After a few post race beers however, John's attitude seemed to change and he found himself on the start line again.  

Laura on the other hand comes from a running background.  Laura began running as a form of therapy when she was going through some tough times and she learned that running was something that she could always turn to.  This therapy however grew into that of an obsession, Laura couldn't go a day without running and she began to pay the price.  While Laura was training for her goal to compete in the Boston marathon she had a labral tear in her hip and it got to the point where it was painful to even walk.  

Laura remembered that she was cycling during some of her run training so she began to go back to that.  She also began to add in some swimming along the way and before long and maybe a little peer pressure from friends, Laura too found herself on the start line of her first triathlon.

Laura and John now work together not only as a couple but as a team with John coaching Laura and helping to keep her grounded yet push her to perform at her best.  They balance each other out when it comes to training and Laura is thankful to have that.  They also enjoy racing together though, Laura loves to see John on the course.  Although John swear that she just loves to pass him. 

This conversation winds through both journey’s of Laura and John but we also touch on some of the training tips John uses when coaching Laura and structuring his own training schedule.  I hope that you enjoy this conversation and the laughs we share but I also hope you can pick up something for your training as well. 

 

Here is my interview with Laura and John!

 

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This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

My guest today really needs no intro but for those of you who may not know him, this is Preston Russell aka P and as he says, real,  raw and uncut.  P is a very good friend of mine and one who I have been very excited to get on this show.  He is someone who embodies the movement of Do It For Yourself.  You will hear me call him P often in this interview because that is what I know him as.

From a young age, Preston's parents taught him business skills and entrepreneurship.  He started off selling candy as a kid which then morphed in to own multiple vending machines.  Once he sold this off he launched an apparel company that was focused on sports teams but pivoted into school uniforms because P saw a need for inner city kids to have uniforms at a more affordable price.  That is just his style, thinking quick and making move to help people.  

As P went along, he has never slowed down.  He went on to graduate with his degree in business and then straight into his masters,  he got his real estate license and just never stopped hustling.  The biggest turning point occurred when he went to spend the summer in Dewey Beach.  After that summer, P never returned to northern Delaware.  He remained a permanent resident there and is now managing multiple restaurants in the various beach towns of southern DE.  The thing is though, he didn't walk in waving his master's degree around no.  He went in at the bottom, as a bar back and he worked his way up, doing every single job and task in the industry so that he could learn it inside and out.  

P's work ethic is something that we can all learn from.  He never takes anything for granted and he is constantly on the move, trying to learn and grow in some way.  I was honored to steal some time for him for this episode and I hope you guys enjoy this one.

 

Preston's Instagram

 

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This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

My guest this week is Brandon Krout and Brandon has an awesome story.  Brandon was a runner in college but when he went into medical school he took a break from running because of the demands of school.  When things started to settle down, however, he found some opportunities to begin running again.  After some pressure from a friend who had already been doing triathlons Brandon decided to give his first race a go on a borrowed bike that was way to small.  

Since that race, Brandon has never looked back and in his short career as a triathlete, he has had very high success.  To think that Brandon has only been in this sport for a few years and he has already qualified for his pro card is absolutely astonishing.  Not only that but he does not use metrics or data that most of us are used to.  He trains and race on the bike with heart rate and runs off of pace during his workouts and racing.  No fancy pedals, power meters, or trainers here.  Brandon is your every day triathlete training and racing all while finishing med school and raising his two children with his wife.  

This interview is with someone who is truly Doing It For Themselves and I am thankful for the connection from Justin for this interview and I hope you enjoy.

 

Brandon's Instagram

 

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This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

 

I am very excited to bring you this weeks guest and the first-time return appearance on the podcast, Jeremy Rielley.  Jeremy is racing as a professional triathlete and he returned to the show this week to share with us a little bit about what it was like to race for a first-time pro this year.  We talk about some of the highs and lows of Jeremey's season, including some of the valuable lessons he learned about making it into a pack on the swim.  

 

We also get into how the training schedule has changed a bit since going from an Age Group athlete to competing at such a high level.  Jeremy even gets a chance to recount what it was like going to a race for the first time as a pro and getting to check in and experience some of the additional perks as a professional.  

 

There are some valuable lessons that Jeremy drops during this episode for everyone, not just triathletes and I am excited to share them with you.  

 

Please enjoy this interview with Jeremy!

 

Jeremey's Instagram

 

Do It For Yourself Instagram

This is The Do It For Yourself Podcast.  Each week I sit down with someone who is doing it for themselves and chasing a dream they just couldn’t suppress.  This is often speakers, entrepreneurs, or athletes.  They all share one thing in common, they are overcoming challenges and never giving up.  Someone who is Doing It For Themselves is not selfish in their pursuit, they are simply chasing a dream or working towards a goal because it is something THEY want to do.  They are not forging down a path because society or someone is telling them it’s what they should be doing.

 

First I would like to start off by saying I apologize for the audio quality on this episode.  There was this annoying hissing noise on my recording for some reason and I did my best to get rid of it but it compromised my audio quality just a little.  It isn't unbearable by any means but I know this isn't the crisp audio quality that you are used to getting from me.  In any event, we must forge on.  

 

My guest this week is Coree Woltering and Coree is an amazing runner.  Coree has had some very solid accomplishments in his early running career and I am very excited to share this episode with you.  Not only has Coree posted some amazing times for running but he has actually twice qualified for the Ironman 70.3 world championships and he walked away from all of this after falling in love with running when pacing a friend for the Leadville race.  

 

Coree has a great personality and he is very open during our conversation so I hope you enjoy!

 

Coree on Instagram

 

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