Gamma Project

George Foreman III is a professional boxer, fitness instructor, author, entrepreneur, and the founder of EverybodyFights, a Boston-based luxury boxing gym with locations around the country. And if you didn’t catch it in the name, he’s also the son of legendary two-time world heavyweight champion, “Big” George Foreman, Sr.

Looking at George, the son of an international boxing legend, it could be easy to assume that things were handed to him. But the real story is so much better. The gym, EverybodyFights, didn’t get its name from the notion that everyone should box—although that certainly wouldn’t hurt business. Instead, it’s about the fact that everybody fights, we all do, every day—for the things we want and need.

EverybodyFights was not funded by the George Foreman Grill. In fact, George lived on his business partner’s couch for 14 months during the time it took to get the business off the ground. And, together, they took 91 meetings to secure funding to open the first gym.

As a pro boxer with a 16-0 record, George knows what it means to be a fighter. And in his first book, The Fighting Spirit, he shares the strategies and mental tactics that give him strength, motivation, and focus.

So, on the eve of EverybodyFights opening its sixth location—a 12,000-square-foot coliseum of a gym in Philadelphia, the culmination and physical embodiment of everything George has learned over the past five years since founding EverybodyFights and prior as a professional boxer—I thought it would be the perfect time to air this tremendous interview.

While we had collaborated briefly in the past, this interview was the first time I got to sit down with George and really dig into all the questions I had for him. From his early days as a pro boxer and all it took to get to that point, including training under his father, to running a successful, rapidly expanding business—with the help of a few tactics learned in the boxing ring.

We talk about how to keep things in perspective, and what it really takes to create your own legacy. We also discuss how to approach decisions from a position of power rather than fear, and much, much more.

It’s an episode worthy of a season finale if ever there was one.

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This episode is brought to you by iFIT NOURISH.

iFIT NOURISH delivers personalized nutrition to your door—with protein, vitamins, and minerals to support your individual needs.

When you go to iFITNOURISH.com, you’ll fill out a quick questionnaire with basic information, like your gender, age, height, and weight, before providing insights into your lifestyle, like your typical energy levels, daily sun exposure, whether or not you’re a smoker, how often you exercise, the kinds of exercise you do, and—of course—your goals.

In the dietary section, you’ll input how much fruit and vegetables you get through your diet, any dietary preferences—like if you prefer a vegan or vegetarian mix—food allergies, how often you plan to drink the shakes, and whether you intend to use them as meal replacements or supplements. You can also pick your favorite flavor.

Whether you’re looking to build muscle, lose weight, increase your endurance, improve energy levels or athletic performance, or even just maintain, iFIT NOURISH was created to arm you with the nutrition you need to go after your goals while also providing a solid daily nutritional foundation.

Your first personalized order is free. Just pay $5 shipping, and you’ll get a free shaker bottle.

Try it for yourself today at iFITNOURISH.com.

Strauss Zelnick is an endlessly inspiring human being who truly embodies the concept of no limits.

The founder of Zelnick Media Capital, a private equity investment firm in the media and communications industry. he’s also the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Take-Two Interactive, a leading developer and publisher of interactive software and games franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Bio Shock, NBA2K, and many more.

To give you a sense of the sheer magnitude of his accomplishments, Strauss’s roles leading up to his founding of Zelnick Media Capital in 2001 include serving as Chairman and CEO of Columbia Music, President and CEO of BMG Entertainment, and President and COO of 20th Century Fox.

And those are just a few of the highlights. He also holds degrees from both Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School.

I first learned of Strauss back in 2008, when I saw him on the cover of Men’s Fitness magazine, where I interned in my free time while studying journalism at NYU. I remember reading about this accomplished businessman who used fitness to fuel his success.

Fast-forward five years to 2013. I’m the Deputy Editor of Men’s Fitness, and my boss tells me we’re doing a feature on this mega successful entrepreneur in his mid-50s who hits the gym harder than most guys in their 20s. I didn’t write the piece, but when the photos rolled in I saw a familiar face. And when it came time to edit the story, I remember being incredibly impressed that this guy—a family man, to boot—had not only grown his business exponentially but somehow found the time to get even fitter.

After that, it was another couple of years before I heard Strauss’s name again. The weird thing about it was that four years had gone by, and then in the space of one week two different people, totally independently, told me about this guy that I just had to meet—of course, that guy was Strauss.

I ended up meeting Strauss for a 6 a.m. workout, where we chatted between sets of high-intensity intervals, and it didn’t take long to see that this guy was the real deal.

To record this interview, I met Strauss at his home in New York City, where we sat in his library and talked honestly about success, failure, integrity, and prioritization in the grand scheme of life. It was a weeklong seminar on leadership and philosophy condensed into less than an hour, and our brief but profound conversation has stuck with me ever since.

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This episode is brought to you by iFIT NOURISH.

iFIT NOURISH delivers personalized nutrition to your door—with protein, vitamins, and minerals to support your individual needs.

When you go to iFITNOURISH.com, you’ll fill out a quick questionnaire with basic information, like your gender, age, height, and weight, before providing insights into your lifestyle, like your typical energy levels, daily sun exposure, whether or not you’re a smoker, how often you exercise, the kinds of exercise you do, and—of course—your goals.

In the dietary section, you’ll input how much fruit and vegetables you get through your diet, any dietary preferences—like if you prefer a vegan or vegetarian mix—food allergies, how often you plan to drink the shakes, and whether you intend to use them as meal replacements or supplements. You can also pick your favorite flavor.

Whether you’re looking to build muscle, lose weight, increase your endurance, improve energy levels or athletic performance, or even just maintain, iFIT NOURISH was created to arm you with the nutrition you need to go after your goals while also providing a solid daily nutritional foundation.

Your first personalized order is free. Just pay $5 shipping, and you’ll get a free shaker bottle.

Try it for yourself today at iFITNOURISH.com.

After launching his career as a management consultant and spending the better part of two decades hyper-focused on improving the efficiency and profitability of various businesses, Shom Chowdhury took a turn into the health and wellness world, where he has since become one of the industry’s most prolific tastemakers.

Following a brief period consulting at Juice Press, Shom accepted the position of COO at the company, where he worked to aggressively grow the retail footprint and sales of the now ubiquitous brand.

In 2014, with the goal of providing customers with a more sustainable means to supporting a healthy diet, Shom left Juice Press—whose offering consisted solely of juices and raw foods—to found Indie Fresh and offer a wider assortment of healthy alternatives to popular comfort foods.

In the short span of just three years, the company played a critical role in creating and developing a dialogue about the viability of incorporating healthy foods into a cosmopolitan diet without “dieting,” and it thrust Shom into the nucleus of the New York City fitness industry.

It’s no surprise then that late last year Shom was tapped by international hospitality giant SoHo House to serve as its global director of health and wellness.

No more than six months into the job, Shom has grabbed the opportunity by the horns and is already well underway with developing SoHo House’s most comprehensive and exciting global fitness concept to date. (I know because I got to personally sample it during development.)

Using SoHo House as a jumping-off point, Shom and I discuss his creative process, from ideation to execution, as well as the personal habits and tactics that allow him to perform optimally, both physically and mentally.

We also talk about the power of authenticity, how to test whether an idea will sink or swim, and, my personal favorite, how to create a clear vision of your ideal life and then reverse-engineer it into reality.

It’s a productive and inspiring conversation, and I hope you take as much away from it as I have.

--------------------------------------

This episode is brought to you by iFIT NOURISH.

iFIT NOURISH delivers personalized nutrition to your door—with protein, vitamins, and minerals to support your individual needs.

When you go to iFITNOURISH.com, you’ll fill out a quick questionnaire with basic information, like your gender, age, height, and weight, before providing insights into your lifestyle, like your typical energy levels, daily sun exposure, whether or not you’re a smoker, how often you exercise, the kinds of exercise you do, and—of course—your goals.

In the dietary section, you’ll input how much fruit and vegetables you get through your diet, any dietary preferences—like if you prefer a vegan or vegetarian mix—food allergies, how often you plan to drink the shakes, and whether you intend to use them as meal replacements or supplements. You can also pick your favorite flavor.

Whether you’re looking to build muscle, lose weight, increase your endurance, improve energy levels or athletic performance, or even just maintain, iFIT NOURISH was created to arm you with the nutrition you need to go after your goals while also providing a solid daily nutritional foundation.

Your first personalized order is free. Just pay $5 shipping, and you’ll get a free shaker bottle.

Try it for yourself today at iFITNOURISH.com.

Vince Lebon is one of the most creative and astute minds in the footwear industry.

In 2012, inspired by his flight attendant wife—Kat, aka Rollie—the Melbourne-based designer founded Rollie Nation, a collection of stylish, lightweight, travel-friendly footwear.

In our interview, Vince tells the story of how he sold his first 500 pairs of shoes—his entire inventory—in just four weeks, and from there grew Rollie to become one of Australia’s most popular footwear brands.

To personally spearhead Rollie’s introduction into the US market, Vince recently moved his family to Brooklyn, New York.

Shortly after arriving in the States, Vince won a scholarship to Brooklyn’s prestigious Pensole Academy, which subsequently served as the set for the YouTube original series, Lace Up: The Ultimate Sneaker Challenge.

Vince was cast into the show and ended up winning it all after designing a shoe that was personally selected by NBA star James Harden. The victory landed Vince a job at Adidas, where he now creates top-secret future footwear concepts at the brand’s secretive Brooklyn Creator Farm.

He also just put out a limited-edition sneaker for Asics—an opportunity earned during his time at Pensole’s Fueling The Future Of Footwear master class.

In this interview, Vince and I discuss his creative process, as well as how he is able to juggle several projects at once.

We talk about exactly what he did to grow his first brand, and how–through social media, pop-up activations, and collaborations with others—he was able to scale the business internationally.

Persistence is a major theme in this conversation, and Vince recounts specifically how certain roadblocks that he’s encountered have ultimately contributed to his success in the industry.

The father of two young kids, Vince also talks about how he and Kat—who has since left the airline world for fashion—make time for family while working full-time to grow their own brands in a new market.

And, of course, we talk sneaker culture. From future trends and cutting-edge innovations that are furthering the game, to the dark world of resellers, Vince talks about the powerful influence of footwear design on our culture, and the responsibility that comes with that.

Few people are as qualified to talk about this industry as Vince, so it’s a real honor to have him on the show. It’s been a pleasure to get to know Vince over time, and as it turns out, we’re actually neighbors.

I hope you enjoy this episode and take as much of it to heart as I have.

--------------------------------------

This episode is brought to you by iFIT NOURISH.

iFIT NOURISH delivers personalized nutrition to your door—with protein, vitamins, and minerals to support your individual needs.

When you go to iFITNOURISH.com, you’ll fill out a quick questionnaire with basic information, like your gender, age, height, and weight, before providing insights into your lifestyle, like your typical energy levels, daily sun exposure, whether or not you’re a smoker, how often you exercise, the kinds of exercise you do, and—of course—your goals.

In the dietary section, you’ll input how much fruit and vegetables you get through your diet, any dietary preferences—like if you prefer a vegan or vegetarian mix—food allergies, how often you plan to drink the shakes, and whether you intend to use them as meal replacements or supplements. You can also pick your favorite flavor.

Whether you’re looking to build muscle, lose weight, increase your endurance, improve energy levels or athletic performance, or even just maintain, iFIT NOURISH was created to arm you with the nutrition you need to go after your goals while also providing a solid daily nutritional foundation.

Your first personalized order is free. Just pay $5 shipping, and you’ll get a free shaker bottle.

Try it for yourself today at iFITNOURISH.com.

Jason Feifer is Editor-In-Chief of Entrepreneur magazine, and host of not one, but two podcasts—Pessimists Archive, about the history of unfounded fears of innovation, and Problem Solvers, about how entrepreneurs solve unexpected problems in their business.

He is also the creative mind behind viral sites such as Crossing.us, Heat Fan Sounds, Bad NBA Songs, and Selfies at Funerals. And he just co-wrote a novel with his wife, titled Mr. Nice Guy, which comes out this October.

Jason has been an editor at Fast Company, Men's Health, Maxim, and Boston, and has written for New York, ESPN, Slate, GQ, The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, and others.

We begin this wide-ranging interview with the topic of parenting, and I ask Jason how he knew when he was ready to become a father.

From there we talk about a skill every new parent (as well as the rest of us) could benefit from picking up—juggling numerous projects at the same time. Jason is a master multitasker. He explains how he finds the energy to keep so many different plates spinning at once, as well as the apps he uses to increase productivity and stay organized.

There’s a great part in this interview where Jason talks about knowing your worth and getting what you deserve. Part of that is laying out all of your skills and making sure you’re fully activating them to further your brand or business.

Jason recently grew his personal business to include speaking engagements, and one of my favorite tips in this interview comes when Jason explains how he is able to nail a speech without memorizing a single line.

Of course, there is a ton of advice for newly minted entrepreneurs, like how to know when your new business or product is ready to take to market. Here, Jason talks about putting yourself to the test before you put your business to the test.

And no Feifer interview would be complete without talking about selfies. Jason is widely regarded, by media around the world including the New York Times, as the international authority on selfies. He tells the story of how a simple Tumblr page became an overnight viral sensation, and how he parlayed that opportunity into a whirlwind of media attention.

In that same vein, we cover strategies for growing your audience, as well as what to do with that megaphone once you get it, to maximize your resources for the greatest return.

Also, today’s episode is a special one, for me personally. Not only is Jason one of the people who encouraged me to create this podcast, this conversation is the first interview I recorded for the show.

And there’s evidence of that.

As it turns out, some microphones have a front and a back. And if you speak into the back, instead of the front, your voice sounds distant.

Fortunately, Jason sounds great, because it was in fact my mic that was flipped the wrong way around for this interview.

Thankfully, this show is about the guests—not me. And few people out there can impart as much practical knowledge, and in as accessible and relatable a manner, as Jason Feifer.

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This episode is brought to you by Altra.

I was introduced to Altra a couple of years ago, and their running shoes—known for their signature Footshape toe box and Zero Drop platform—have since become a sort of secret weapon for me. I break them out for especially punishing runs, and when it’s time to go off-road, their trail shoes are the only ones I’ll wear. (The Lone Peak is my personal favorite.)

This spring, Altra wants you to #EmbraceTheSpace and get fired up for taking your runs outside with their lineup of fast and light road shoes. One model to check out, for sure, is the Altra Duo, which features 31mm cushioning beneath both the forefoot and the heel, and weighs in at a crazy-light 7.5 ounces.

If you’re interested in checking out the Altra Duo, you can head to fleetfeetsports.com. They’ll be available there through March. AltraRunning.com

Aly Teich is one of the toughest, most inspiring women I have ever had the pleasure to meet. She is also one of the most connected and knowledgeable people in the fitness industry.

Aly is the founder of The Sweat Life, a popular fitness blog and online video series, which I’ve been a fan of for years.

Since leaving the corporate world behind to pursue her now ubiquitous fitness startup, Aly has grown her brand to over 70.000 Instagram followers and collaborated with some of the largest brands in the world, including Adidas, Clif Bar, and many more.

Aly is also president of The Talent Hack, a newly launched website that connects professionals to brands in the fitness industry.

In this wide-ranging interview, Aly recounts, in detail, what it was like to detach from corporate America and start her own business. We discuss all the emotions, expectations, highs, and lows that came with that decision, as well as how she overcame specific challenges along the way.

At the heart of Aly’s success—aside from an immortal work ethic and a genuine compulsion to make people healthier in their daily lives—is her skill as a networker.

In this conversation, Aly explains the tactics she employs when reaching out to a brand for the first time, as well as the strategies she relies on to convert an idea into a conversation and, ultimately, a business deal.

In that vein, she provides some great insight into the inner workings of The Sweat Life—particularly how she designed the architecture of the site to support a booming partnership business from day one.

We also talk about Aly’s three pillars for personal wellness, which support her energy, creativity, and mental health, as well as the behaviors she avoids—including incessant social media interactions—in order to remain healthy, happy, and focused.

This episode is truly one for everyone, and, as always, I encourage you to listen all the way through. It’s a powerful one.

______________________

This episode is brought to you by Altra.

I was introduced to Altra a couple of years ago, and their running shoes—known for their signature Footshape toe box and Zero Drop platform—have since become a sort of secret weapon for me. I break them out for especially punishing runs, and when it’s time to go off-road, their trail shoes are the only ones I’ll wear. (The Lone Peak is my personal favorite.)

This spring, Altra wants you to #EmbraceTheSpace and get fired up for taking your runs outside with their lineup of fast and light road shoes. One model to check out, for sure, is the Altra Duo, which features 31mm cushioning beneath both the forefoot and the heel, and weighs in at a crazy-light 7.5 ounces.

If you’re interested in checking out the Altra Duo, you can head to fleetfeetsports.com. They’ll be available there through March. AltraRunning.com

Brian Mazza began his career in hospitality as a bottle runner at a nightclub. It was there that he laid the foundation for what would become a bulletproof reputation for hard work, and it wasn’t long before he began ascending the ranks of the New York City restaurant scene.

Today, Brian is President of the Paige Hospitality Group—a premier operations and hospitality company specializing in high-end event planning and production—and is responsible for running several high-profile restaurants in the tri-state area.

Given the rigors and demands of the hospitality industry, it’s especially impressive then that Brian is also one of the fittest human beings you’ll ever meet.

A former Division 1 soccer player for the University of Rhode Island, Brian is the definition of an athlete, and calling him competitive would be an understatement. At home, in New York City, he channels that energy into Tone House—widely regarded as the toughest workout on the east coast. In fact, by the time this episode airs he will have completed almost 900 classes.

This past year has been an eventful one for Brian—even by his standards. The same year he landed on the cover of Men’s Health, he tore his Achilles tendon—sidelining him from physical activity—or, at least that’s what you’d expect.

He also became a dad, which, of course, comes with its own set of challenges.

In this wide-ranging, in-depth interview, Brian shares the game-changing habits, routines, philosophies, and principles that have allowed him to achieve repeated success, both professionally and personally.

Having worked his way up from the bottom, Brian reveals the valuable lessons he’s learned, including advice for dealing with difficult people, launching a successful marketing campaign, and making strategic lifestyle adjustments to benefit a long-term goal.

We also talk about the opportunities that lie in social media, and what you can do to take advantage of these tools to further your personal brand—and what kind of behavior to avoid.

Needless to say, we cover a lot of ground.

______________________

This episode is brought to you by Altra.

I was introduced to Altra a couple of years ago, and their running shoes—known for their signature Footshape toe box and Zero Drop platform—have since become a sort of secret weapon for me. I break them out for especially punishing runs, and when it’s time to go off-road, their trail shoes are the only ones I’ll wear. (The Lone Peak is my personal favorite.)

This spring, Altra wants you to #EmbraceTheSpace and get fired up for taking your runs outside with their lineup of fast and light road shoes. One model to check out, for sure, is the Altra Duo, which features 31mm cushioning beneath both the forefoot and the heel, and weighs in at a crazy-light 7.5 ounces.

If you’re interested in checking out the Altra Duo, you can head to fleetfeetsports.com. They’ll be available there through March.

Bar Malik is the Director of Performance and Science for the New York Knicks.

Now in his sixth season with the Knicks, Bar is heavily involved in player development, working with some of the biggest stars in the NBA.

He travels with the Knicks throughout the season and helps to ensure players are optimizing their time, both on and off the court. From exercise to recovery, he takes a 360-degree approach to performance, and some of his insights are just plain fascinating.

One of my favorite things about this conversation—and, really, this is the goal of every Gamma Project episode—is that regardless of whether you’re a diehard NBA fan or don’t know a basketball from a bar of soap, there is a lot for you here that can be applied to several different aspects of your own life, no matter what you do professionally or where you’re currently at in the grand scheme of things.

That said, if you are interested in sports, particularly how pro athletes train and continue to improve their performance over time, you’re in for some really cool insights from behind the scenes.

Here, Bar talks about the most productive habits he sees in his players, all of which you can adopt for yourself.

He describes, in detail, the tactics he uses—and that you can use—to optimize both physical and mental performance.

And then we also get away from the court to talk about things like how to deal with the loss of a loved one—which, if you remember, also came up in Episode 1 (Phillip Picardi: Building a Brand, Becoming Fearless, and Finding Calm in Chaos), but it’s something we all end up dealing with eventually, so it’s worth the revisit.

We also talk about journaling; accountability; the importance of connecting with friends, family, and nature; and much, much more.

During the first few minutes of the episode, we spend quite a bit of time talking about the path that led Bar to where he is today—both professionally and personally—and that is because I’m a huge fan of context.

One of the things I am always interested in is how successful and influential people arrived at the jobs they have, because what you often find—almost always, in fact—is that it’s not simply a case of showing up for the interview and getting the job.

Relationships, persistence, grit, and failure are almost always part of the story—and Bar’s case is no exception.

So, we start by getting into all of that, to paint a fuller picture, and ultimately set the scene for what comes next, which is a full-court press (to employ the only basketball term I will use in this entire episode) of practical strategies, tips, and tactics that you can absorb into your own routine and reach whatever goals you have for yourself.

______________________

This episode is brought to you by Altra.

I was introduced to Altra a couple of years ago, and their running shoes—known for their signature Footshape toe box and Zero Drop platform—have since become a sort of secret weapon for me. I break them out for especially punishing runs, and when it’s time to go off-road, their trail shoes are the only ones I’ll wear. (The Lone Peak is my personal favorite.)

This spring, Altra wants you to #EmbraceTheSpace and get fired up for taking your runs outside with their lineup of fast and light road shoes. One model to check out, for sure, is the Altra Duo, which features 31mm cushioning beneath both the forefoot and the heel, and weighs in at a crazy-light 7.5 ounces.

If you’re interested in checking out the Altra Duo, you can head to fleetfeetsports.com. They’ll be available there through March.

Phillip Picardi is one of the fastest-rising stars in media. At just 26 years old, he was recently named Chief Content Officer of Teen Vogue, and earlier this year launched Them, an LGBTQ-focused digital title and the first new brand to be launched by Conde Nast in 14 years. If his name rings a bell, there’s a chance you may have seen Forbes’ latest "30 Under 30."

Phil and I met last year while training for the Hood to Coast team relay race, a 199-mile race that takes place each year in Portland, Oregon. We were two editors out of a group of 11 that Nike invited to run the race as a team.

Over the course of seven weeks of training together and one week spent traveling to and from Portland for the race itself, I got to know Phil and became fascinated by not only his unparalleled success in the most competitive media landscape in the world—New York City—but also his energy, selflessness, and overall outlook on life.

So, a few months later, when I started to consider whom I might want to interview for this podcast, Phil’s name was on the list before I even had to think.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about the keys to succeeding in a competitive environment, how to successfully launch and develop a brand, strategies for mental health, advice for anyone considering coming out as gay, tips for a lasting relationship between two people with crazy schedules, and much, much more.