Today, we decided to dive in to a little more mindset practice rather than interviewing a member.  It's also much shorter than our regular 40 minute plus recordings; we like to switch it up every now and again.

We dig into the power of positive thinking and different ways it can apply to you not only during your workouts, but also in your everyday life.

If this episode did impact you, if it inspired you to take action and start training your mind to think positively rather than negatively, please please please let us know about it in one way or another!

We hope you enjoy the episode, and thank you as always for tuning in!

As we jokingly touch on early in this episode, Wolf has won the superlative of Perfect Form the past two years at Firewall.  This doesn't just apply to the work he puts in at the gym but also translates to all areas of his life.  He's one of the most kind-hearted, humble and caring individuals you'll ever meet.

If you haven't met Wolf before, it's probably because you're not one of those "crazy" people (totally kidding to all of you who do go) who go to the 5:30AM classes at Firewall!  He is an absolute class act guy who I was so happy agreed to hop on the podcast to let us know him a little bit deeper.

In the interview, he said he's a part of an amazing "modern family".  He has an older brother 2 years older than him, a half brother who's 11 and a half sister who's 8.  It makes for a unique family dynamic having siblings who are more than 20 years apart in age, but Wolf says they all get along incredibly well!  Currently, Alex lives smack dab in Holliston with his lovely wife Jamie and his two adorable daughters, Natalie and Gabriella.

After growing up in Framingham, Wolf decided to pursue his education at UMass Amherst where he started as a marketing major but then switched to an accounting major.

Shortly after college, he started working for PWC.  During his time there, he also acquired his Master's in Accounting degree.

After about a 5 year stint with them, he moved on to Acushnet Company where he was trying to find something a bit different than the tax side of accounting like he did at PWC.

He then decided to go to Babson as a full time student in pursuit of his MBA.

Currently, Wolf is so extremely happy with where he works as it is, in fact, his father's company.  This was my favorite part of the interview which is towards the end.  Be sure to listen to this full bit as it's pretty mind blowing what the company, Quilling Card, is doing for people across the globe in Vietnam as well as providing a superior product here in the States!  Here's a link to check out their website and a chance to make a connection with a loved one :)
https://quillingcard.com/

Wolf met his wife, Jamie, while he was working at PWC.  He goes into explaining why he loves her so much, his proposal, and how he used a "bait and switch" technique to get her to go out with him for their first date.

At the end of the episode, we dive into how Wolf found CrossFit and why he decided to start.  He's classified as one of the originals as he started way back in 2012 which has a large reason to do with why his form is so refined!  Be sure to stick around to the very end of the episode as he gives some incredibly useful advice to anyone who may just be starting their CrossFit journey!

Thanks for coming on the show Wolf!  You're one heck of a guy and we love that we get to help start your day off on the right foot everyday!

Sara, you were so much fun to have on the show!  We had so much fun going back and forth and finding out more about your life!

*Quick Tip: Sara has developed an ingenious habit of listening to our podcasts while at the grocery store.  What a great way to get in some Firewall time!

Growing up not too far away, Sara grew up as a soccer super star in Rutland, a town just outside of Worcester.  Having attended Wachusett Regional High School, her soccer career took her to a small college in upstate New York called Elmira College, but then decided to transfer to Bridgewater State between her sophomore and junior year.  It was really interesting to listen to Sara's path through college and why she decided to transfer schools like many many students do.

After college, Sara pursued a career in retail which brought her out to California for a couple years.  She worked on Robertson Boulevard where she got the opportunity to meet a ton of different celebrities.  Be sure to listen to who Sara's favorite and least favorite celebrity encounters were!

In this podcast, you'll learn about Sara's current pet situation in her house with her family, her sister's ex-husband who is a well-known name in the fitness world, and all of her thoughts on CrossFit including what she believed before joining!

Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with us to record this awesome interview, Sara!  You are a one of a kind gal who has seen so many incredible results since becoming a part of the gym.  We're so happy to have you at Firewall!

This was one of the most eye opening interviews we've ever done on the show!

Anastasia is an absolutely incredible human who tells us all about her life growing up in the Uzbekistan and Russia including all the struggles she had to go through to get to the U.S.  We touch on many topics during this transition including family life, work, and more!

I, personally, took a lot of what Anastasia said into perspective and couldn't believe how much I take for granted living where I do.  I know I personally want to travel more after our conversation to get a better understanding of what life is like outside of this bubble that I've lived in!

Anastasia also gets into how she got into Human Resources and Harvard Pilgrim.  She touches on her current family life including how she met her husband (a Holliston grad) through Craigslist!

At the end of the recording, we reminisce about Anastasia's first experience with us which involved much intimidation, skepticism, and soreness.  Shortly after though, she fell in love with the program and the community.

Thank you so much Anastasia for dedicating an hour of your time to this episode!  We're so fortunate to have you at the gym! 

FINALLY!!!  We got to sit down with the legendary coach Kayleigh for this anxiously anticipated recording.  We dive into Kayleigh's relationship with CrossFit - how it all started and how she wanted to pursue coaching.

Growing up, Kayleigh was very active and played a lot of sports growing up.  After high school, she was thinking about pursuing a career in media.  Kayleigh had an internship out in Los Angeles, California that ended up not quite as she expected.

Fast forwarding into the real world, she ended up with Reebok!  That's when CrossFit really started to become a huge part of her life,  After a few years in the work force, she is now in sales which people have told her she's always had the personality for.

Kayleigh relives with us her most memorable CrossFit moments and takes us through her CrossFit journey - from the beginning to now.

if you're interested, we were able to find some YouTube footage of Kayleigh from her media days!!
Patriots Coverage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gufA5frVmSQ
Ashland Cable Access - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfPehIz-xjY&t=1s

Thank you so much for coming on Kayleigh! It was so fun getting to know you more!

We're doing something we've never done before on this episode.  We are releasing the entire week of programming at the beginning of the week!!

Below you can see all the workouts we'll be doing over the next 7 days.  This week is filled with heavy weights, long workouts, challenging tests, and much much more!  We also give you a couple tips for each day including additional equipment you may want to bring each day like grips, knee sleeves, shin guards, etc.  There's a little something for everyone this week as there is every week.  We hope you enjoyed this week's podcast format!

Monday 8/5
AMRAP 16:
48 Double Unders
24 Single Arm KB Swing (53,35)
12 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

Tuesday 8/6
Every 5:00 x 5 Sets:
250m/200m Row
15 Burpees
10 Front Rack Lunges (185,125)

Wednesday 8/7

AMRAP 32:
800m Run
100 Shoulder Taps
800m Run
80 Ring Rows
800m Run
60 Burpees
800m Run
40 Power Cleans (185,125)

Thursday 8/8
Build up in 14 minutes of:
1 Strict Press +
2 Push Press +
3 Push Jerks

2 Rounds for Time:
20 Clean and Presses (115,80)
5 Legless Rope Climbs

Friday 8/9
AMRAP 21:
20/15 Calorie Bike
200m Farmer Carry (70,53)
20 Hang Power Snatches (75,55)

Saturday 8/10
AMRAP 25:
“I Go, You Go” with a partner.
15 Goblet Squats (70,53)
10 Box Jump’s (24,20)
5 Toes-to-Bar

Sunday 8/11
Floor Press:
6x10 Increasing in weight each set

4 Rounds for Time:
25 Push-ups
25 Ground-to-Overhead (45,35)

We get deep into this one very early on!  James and I connect at the very beginning of this recording as we went through a very similar situation with our parents divorcing when we were in our 20s.

James continues on the family route by describing his relationship with his older brother, Jon.  They're two years apart.  Towards the end of the podcast, we actually circle back to his brother and discuss the business they started together a few years back.

Since middle school, James has struggled with his body weight.  He was always very active with athletics, but eventually, that wasn't enough to keep the weight off.  He knew something had to change.  From an early age, he learned to battle his weight with proper exercise and nutrition that led to healthy living in the present.  We also briefly touch on how his self confidence was a direct correlation with his weight.

Later on, we touch on how he found his passion for sustainability and how that led him to his current business that him and his brother co-found and own.

If you're interested in learning more about James's business or want to have a conversation with him about more efficient energy at your house, you can get in touch with him through his website here: http://www.teamsolar.us/ He loves talking about sustainable energy, so don't be shy to reach out!

Thanks again, James, so much for taking the time to record this on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  You are an absolute rock star with the world at your finger tips!

Hello there Firewall listener!   We just wanted to take the extra minute to express our appreciation for listening to this episode!  We're trying to keep these as entertaining and fact filled as possible.  We're always up for new ideas, so if you have one, please send us a message!

This is the second time we decided to ask the community to ask us questions.  The majority of these are from the one and only Anthony Natoli, but there are a few at the end asked from other members too.  Here are the questions Bucky answers in this week's episode (Dave will be answering the same questions in a future episode):

1. What is your favorite type of CrossFit shoe and why? (Anthony Natoli)

2. What is your favorite food to prepare and why? (Anthony Natoli)

3. What advice would you have for someone trying to get into competitions? (Anthony Natoli)

4. How has owning a gym shifted your mindset toward CrossFit and the CrossFit community in general? (Anthony Natoli)

5. Do you have a favorite type of exercise outside of CrossFit methodology? (Anthony Natoli)

6. What are your thoughts on the recent shift in CrossFit HQ? (Anthony Natoli)

7.  If you could be a dinosaur, what would you be and why? (Anthony Natoli)

8.  Do you have any hidden talents? (Anthony Natoli)

9. Do you cry at movies? (Anthony Natoli)

10. How did you get into modeling and how does it feel to be like Zoolander? (Anthony Natoli)

11. What does your tattoo mean and did your parents care that you got one? (Anthony Natoli)

12. What's it like to have Anthony Ronald Natoli at CrossFit Firewall? (Anthony Natoli)

13.  What are the best things to see and do when out of towners come visit? (Mark Miranda)

14. How did you pick the name "Firewall"? (Kim Menapace)

15. Are thinks like retention and recruitment  big topics in staff discussions? (Joe Connors)

Thanks for listening and be sure to share this with someone else in the community who hasn't heard the show before!  Thank you!!

Hang in there team, this is definitely a lengthy one!  Although it's one of if not the longest conversation we have recorded, it's chock filled of entertainment and a history of our very own, Dan Nettell.

Starting life in California, he found himself moving to the east coast due to his college pursuit at Northeastern.  His longest memory stems from the famous earthquake of 1989 in San Francisco.  Dan is a great story teller who vividly describes what he remembers from that day when he was just 4 years old!

Once he got to Boston, he started pursuing a career in criminal justice, but quickly switched to a communications focus after a talk with his father.  From there, Dan immersed himself in the radio world, specifically baseball.

Although always aspiring to be the broadcaster of the San Francisco Giants, Dan worked at Starbucks as a barista starting back in high school.  One thing led to another and he's currently the head manager of the Starbucks in Sherwood Plaza located in Natick next to Dick's Sporting Goods.  Be sure to pop in and say hi to Dan next time you're in the area!

We reminisce about some of our first experiences as an attending fan to a couple different sports.

Dan gives us a hilarious inside scoop to Manny Ramirez back in the day when he helped out with the Red Sox broadcasting.

About half way through the interview, we switch over to a variety of favorite categories like movies, TV shows, and much more!

Towards the end, Dan goes into the story of how he heard of CrossFit, found Firewall, and how his view of CrossFit has shifted since starting.  Be sure to stick around to the end of the podcast as Dan brings us back to his funniest moment at Firewall involving Vani and Coach Damon.

Thanks again so much for being on the show, Dan!  We had a blast sitting down and recording with you.  Your vivid story telling makes this one of the most fun interviews to date!

Mr. Mark Miranda has been relentless on getting the chance to interview me.  I finally submitted to his request and sat down with him to chat a little bit about my past.

Enjoy listening to the legendary Mark Miranda and myself reminisce through my short lived life thus far!

We also agreed that we will be doing the same thing with Dave in the near future so be on the lookout for that!

Thanks for turning the table on me, Mark!  I had a fun time ;)