Mere Mortals Conversations

After a year of gambling I am none the wiser of understanding probabilities.

In Episode #523 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: probabilities/gambling/arbitrage, how my brother first found ways to exploit betting promotions, using sports betting apps in conjunction with Polymarket, how markets set probabilities, whether AI will become genuinely better than humans at predicting future outcomes, complexity making exact prediction almost impossible and the future of livestreaming and personal data.

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:33) How betting promotions can tilt the odds
(00:05:52) Getting gubbed and the limits of beating bookies
(00:07:28) Casino systems, card counting and roulette stories
(00:12:29) Polymarket, lay bets and online arbitrage appeal
(00:15:17) Bots, algorithmic trading and speed advantages
(00:20:56) A human edge in clunky betting markets
(00:23:04) Probability confusion and betting both sides
(00:27:36) How do you build probabilities from scratch
(00:35:52) Weather, complexity and what probability really means
(00:43:58) Can AI actually predict the future
(00:54:30) Why the betting edge disappears over time
(00:57:15) Live data, streaming and future tech habits
(01:03:26) AI music, data ownership and universal compute
(01:09:04) Human judgement, long bets and future projects
(01:15:22) Podcast updates, yoga training and closing notes 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

The main question I have received is .... why do it in the first place?
 
In Episode #522 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: the behind the scenes of our first official marathon, why “finishing” can be its own kind of win, the three layers of marathoners you meet on race day, solo marathon attempts compared to the buzz of an organised event, tips (racing lines, shade-hunting, aid stations), where the wheels came off (cramps and blistered feet), reflect on why we choose hard things, what it would actually take for us to go sub‑4 and why halves and 10ks might be our sweet spot.

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:15) Placings shock and expectations vs reality
(00:03:59) Cut-offs, DNFs, and what "winning" really means
(00:07:50) Atlas Events series and the gamification of running
(00:13:02) Race day atmosphere: fun, roads and course quirks
(00:17:16) Course difficulty matters: elevation and flatter options
(00:19:14) Post-race reflections and future distance preferences
(00:22:06) How their race unfolded: pacing, packs and turning points
(00:25:28) The wall arrives: hills, slowing and first walks
(00:29:29) Fuel, fluids, and the underrated racing line
(00:33:34) On-course coaching with AI? Ethics and usefulness
(00:38:03) Juan's rocky prep, surprises, and recovery week
(00:41:04) Kyrin's near-perfect prep and where sub-4 slipped
(00:45:02) Why do a marathon at all? Choosing hard things
(00:48:12) Mental vs physical barriers: running vs lifting
(00:51:09) What it takes to go faster: sub-4 and beyond 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

After a mini break we're back and tired as hell.

In Episode #521 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: being very busy versus truly tired, how priorities shift as life gets more complex and why sometimes the smartest move is pruning commitments instead of optimising them, reminisce on the “end of an era”—pinpointing a final carefree night with friends before marriages, kids and tighter schedules reshaped everything & maxing out your skills to learn what truly fits.

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline: 
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:32) Today’s loose topics: busy, tired, and ends of eras
(00:04:29) Work surge, funding cycles, and context switching
(00:07:14) Time slipping: dating, late nights, and sleep debt
(00:10:52) Merging habits: training with podcasts, dropping networking
(00:13:20) Reducing decision fatigue, going with the flow (kids)
(00:18:18) Meal batching as an antidote to micro decisions
(00:21:24) The Springwood night: last carefree gathering
(00:25:56) Complexity vs difficulty: why coordination gets hard
(00:31:04) Revisiting UQ: inner child, fear and growth
(00:35:00) Wisdom with age and limits of advice to your younger self
(00:39:37) Practices over time: identity, social media shifts
(00:44:21) University credential vs building ‘monsters’
(00:47:20) Purpose can wait; in youth, max your stats
(00:51:01) Generational shift: job hopping and portfolio lives
(00:53:38) Looks‑maxxing influencers and the price of attention
(00:55:57) Capping off: embracing the thirties era 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next.

Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own methodology. What do you do differently and why?

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline: 
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:31) Juan May 2026 Review
(00:14:18) Kyrin May 2026 Review
(00:22:27) Juan June 2026 Goals
(00:29:51) Kyrin June 2026 Goals
(00:40:16) Fitness
(00:45:06) Wrap-up 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

At some point, the body sends you the invoice.
In this episode of the Mere Mortals Podcast, I sit down with Chris Ryan, former Division 1 runner, fitness coach, Men’s Fitness cover model, former Mirror coach and founder of Chris Ryan Fitness, to talk about what it actually takes to stay strong, durable and fit as you get older.
The core lesson: fitness is not just about effort. It is about intelligent effort, repeated long enough to become identity.

Connect With Chris Ryan
Website: https://chrisryanfitness.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisryanfitness
YouTube: Search “Chris Ryan Fitness”
App: Search “Chris Ryan Fitness” in the App Store or Google Play 

00:00 - Welcome to Mere Mortals
00:24 - Who is Chris Ryan?
00:42 - From sport to Division 1 running
01:26 - Why the 800m teaches toughness
02:26 - From athlete to fitness coach
02:48 - Men’s Fitness, NBC Strong and Mirror
03:15 - Mirror, Lululemon and building an app
04:41 - Why men learn about tendons too late
06:00 - Prehab beats rehab
07:09 - Why tendons need smart loading
08:16 - Marathon training mistakes
09:30 - The hidden cost of running on hard surfaces
10:00 - Why elite runners avoid too much pavement
11:19 - Zone 2 training and managing intensity
13:07 - Body checks and relaxed running
14:12 - What a coach sees that Google cannot
15:27 - Consistency as the foundation
16:10 - How to recover from a missed workout
17:05 - Heavy lifting after 40
18:39 - Pull-ups, grip strength and longevity
20:12 - VO2 max training and Hyrox
21:31 - Dumbbells, bands and simple home training
23:15 - Teaching people why they train
23:54 - Why people avoid hard intervals
25:37 - Run your fastest mile first
27:12 - Running form, heel striking and efficiency
29:13 - Four-minute intervals and VO2 max work
30:34 - How to raise active kids
32:15 - Making fitness fun for children
34:09 - Home gyms, pull-up bars and accessibility
36:27 - Building a fitness community
37:20 - Why community questions matter
38:53 - Members empowering members
40:36 - Chris’s expensive business mistake
42:04 - Why TV apps failed
43:36 - Let the marketplace tell you what it wants
45:01 - The overlooked power of rest and recovery
45:56 - Protect your bedtime
47:37 - Programming recovery into training
48:03 - Muscles grow when you recover
48:44 - Why 80% consistency still wins
49:43 - The habit most disciplined people neglect
51:07 - Where to find Chris Ryan 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next.

Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own methodology. What do you do differently and why?

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline: 
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:40) April review (Juan): running ramp-up, Achilles issues
(00:06:09) April review (Kyrin): energy, social push and AI chats
(00:20:55) Podcasting 2.0 update: AI slop, indexing, and curation challenges
(00:24:51) Setting May goals (Juan): body, mind, soul focus
(00:30:14) Setting May goals (Kyrin): energy, courageous conversations
(00:37:31) Streamlining podcast workflows: thumbnails, uploads, automation
(00:42:31) Thumbnails by AI? Tools, costs and what to keep
(00:44:54) Interviews vs effort: where the time really goes
(00:48:00) Always-on media: "Monitor the Situation" and live nuance
(00:50:12) Fitness wins: 2-minute handstand and one-arm progress
(00:56:41) Life admin rant: hail damage, insurers, and time trade-offs
(00:59:30) Wrap-up and next week’s plan 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

Can you succeed without setting expectations & goals to hit?

In Episode #520 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: riff on dreaming big: how our top‑level life aims can stay steady for decades while the reasons and execution evolve, whether you truly need a “big dream” to reach elite performance, how to cultivate direction in your twenties by chasing curiosity and I tease a 20‑year out‑of‑this‑world goal that’s resurfaced from childhood.

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:03:22) Decades, seasons of life and planning horizons
(00:07:56) Hinting at a 20-year goal out of this world
(00:10:29) Belief, luck, and the role of drive
(00:14:29) Stumbling into success and the power of effort
(00:18:14) Visualisation that works: mindset vs magic
(00:23:01) Aspirations shift: presence over prestige
(00:29:56) Massive Transformational Purpose and skill discovery
(00:32:01) Follow your obsession? Benefits and pitfalls
(00:36:00) Meaning, contentment and age
(00:40:13) Small dreams, goals, and purposeful practice
(00:45:26) Wrap-up and value-for-value sign-off 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

When does training become trickery become manipulation?

In Episode #519 of 'Meanderings', Juan and I discuss: the messy art of celebrating wins, the difference between admiration and genuine celebration, how expectations can warp our enjoyment of milestones, how to separate rewards from celebrations, why minimum thresholds matter, and how to design simple, sustainable rituals that create real memories and why routine can quietly erase the impulse to recognise achievements.

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:00) State of the podcast: cadence, book reviews, life updates
(00:03:45) Milestones hit but rarely celebrated: listens, views, totals
(00:06:50) From optimisation to ease: audio quality, AI cleanup, and routines
(00:10:40) Gratitude for better gear versus big milestone parties
(00:13:44) Tiny rewards after effort: beer in the shower and habit loops
(00:16:56) Long‑term mindset: willpower, running mileage, and durable rewards
(00:21:58) Birthdays, experiences, and low‑key celebrations for others
(00:24:52) Do milestones create memories worth keeping?
(00:30:00) Expectations shape feelings: two athletes, same silver, different joy
(00:32:14) Should celebration be separate from expectations?
(00:35:15) Rewarding effort vs outcome: half marathon thought experiment
(00:40:05) Positive manipulation, parenting and intent behind rewards
(00:44:45) Overblown rewards backfire: the doughnut race cautionary tale
(00:47:56) Ritualising post‑run rewards without overdoing it
(00:51:41) Wrap‑up: goals for next week and tongue‑in‑cheek yacht plans
(00:55:18) Closing thanks and sign‑off 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

What do Michael Gerry, Big Brother and Clavicular all have in common?

In Episode #518 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: broadcasting everyday life (potentially 24/7), how feasible it is to capture more of life with minimal setup, early backpack rigs to Michael Gerry’s 2019 year-long life stream, the pull toward performative behaviour, the appeal of using life streaming as a mirror for self-improvement, why human interest in real humans won’t vanish in an AI-simulated world, predictions on “life media”/consent challenges/audience capture risks and why intent matters more than ever if you’re thinking about streaming your life.

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:06) Wearables and the dream of frictionless livestreaming
(00:05:56) Social impact: cameras change behaviour and relationships
(00:08:46) Predicted effects on relationships and self-discipline
(00:14:56) NSFW pivot: audience shift, consent, and consequences
(00:17:38) Costs, logistics, and why fame is unlikely
(00:20:55) Community, new friends, catfishing, and fallout
(00:24:56) Why even boring streams get views
(00:27:50) Motivations: fame, money, connectionand a private pensive
(00:31:02) The sexual attention problem and why lines matter
(00:34:39) If we did it: gyms, runs, handstands, and zero-edit streams
(00:38:53) The consent minefield and protecting loved ones
(00:41:04) Audience capture and changing your life later
(00:45:25) AI editors, multimodal search, and the end of manual cuts (00:47:18) AI characters vs human messiness: what viewers really want
(00:56:00) Forecast: life media expands; humans keep watching humans
(00:58:16) Try-before-you-go: real-time looks at venues and events
(01:06:01) Housekeeping: Boostagrams paused, V4V still valued
(01:09:18) One-person unicorns and why wed watch their day
(01:11:23) Wrap-up and Easter sign-off 

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next.

Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own methodology. What do you do differently and why?

Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortals

Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:33) Juan's March 2026 Recap
(00:03:32) Kyrin's March 2026 Recap
(00:10:46) Support Overview
(00:15:55) Juan's April 2026 Goals
(00:23:17) Kyrin's April 2026 Goals
(00:38:35) Fitness

Connect with Mere Mortals:
Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/
Discord: https://discord.gg/K99e8fysBn
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts

Value 4 Value Support:
V4V: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast