Scott Britton is the founder of Battle Cancer, a non-profit that uses functional fitness events to raise funds for cancer charities, as well as provides free training programs to help cancer survivors thrive post-treatment.

Originally a small, personal fundraising initiative, Scott quickly recognized that when it came to creating a big impact, there is strength in numbers.  He recruited others and worked hard to grow Battle Cancer into a huge movement that has raised over $1.4 million and hosted events across Europe and in the US.  

Most recently, Battle Cancer has formed an official partnership with CrossFit and sits poised to become an even bigger global phenomenon as it leverages the CrossFit community to create powerful bonds and relationships that support cancer survivors.

In this episode, Scott shares how he became so passionate about the fight against cancer, the benefits of using movement as medicine, and his dream of developing a network of fitness professionals and affiliates who are trained to support those affected by this pervasive disease.

You can connect with Scott and Battle Cancer via their website and Instagram @battle.cancer

Ep 127 - Fighting Breast Cancer with Barbells: Barbells for Boobs Founder Zionna Hanson

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

Jackie Bowen is the executive director of the Clean Label Project, a non-profit with the mission to bring transparency to food and product labeling by using analytical chemistry and data investigations to research top selling products. Jackie has a Master of Science in quality engineering from Easterm Michigan University, a Master of Public Health in management and policy from University of Michigan, and has appeared on numerous media outlets including NBC, ABC, CNN, ‘The Doctors’, ‘Dr. Oz’, and ‘Dr. Drew’.

Oliver Amdrup is co-founder of the natural health and food supplement brand, Puori, as well as the founder of the first CrossFit affiliate in Denmark. His interest in food and supplement quality was borne out of a desire to ensure his own personal fish oil supplementation was coming from the best source possible. Since then, he has helped Puori grow into a company that offers a variety of supplements to address the main nutritional deficiencies of the developed world with full transparency testing across their entire product portfolio.

Together, Jackie and Oliver are working to educate consumers on how environmental toxins can lead to chronic disease and how as consumers we can make better food choices.

In this episode, we cover the basics of cleaner living, steps you can take to reduce your overall toxin load, and what to look for when purchasing supplements.  We also get into some fascinating research, including why vanilla protein might be a better choice than chocolate!

Resources:

Toxins in Chocolate

Coming Clean Project podcast

Clean Label Project brand search

You can connect with Oliver and Jackie via Instagram @comingcleanproject

Ep 22 - Brigid Titgemeier on Functional Nutrition

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

Samantha Briggs has been a staple athlete within the CrossFit community for over a decade. Her nickname, “The Engine,” refers to her incredible work capacity in longer events, but it now seems to apply to her longevity in the sport as well.  Sam is a 9-time CrossFit Games competitor, the 2013 Fittest Woman on Earth, and in 2022, she has her sights set on becoming the fittest 40 year-old in history.

It’s been over 3 years since Sam last joined me on the podcast, so I was excited to have the chance to catch up with her recently to learn more about what she’s been up to lately.  We talked about several of the philanthropic endurance challenges she’s taken on, her world record time at the Spartan Games, how she’s adapted her training over the years, and what drives her to continue working hard in the gym, day in and day out.

You can connect with Sam via Instagram @bicepslikebriggs

Ep 72 - Sam Briggs on Going Back to Basics and Training for Longevity

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

200 episodes of Pursuing Health, wow! 

To celebrate, I decided it was time for a long overdue Q+A style episode.  Thank you to everyone who responded to my email request for questions; there were so many fantastic ones, and I wish I was able to cover them all! 

To make this Q+A session extra special, I enlisted the help of my friend Pat Sherwood.  Pat was one of the first people to interview me when I began my career as a CrossFit athlete, so it was a huge treat to catch up with him now, over 10 years later!

Thank you so much for your continued support of the podcast.  I know many of you have followed along on my journey from CrossFit Games athlete, to medical student, to physician and I’m honored that you continue to tune in each week.  I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to listen and learn from so many amazing guests, from medical experts to elite athletes to everyday individuals with inspiring transformation stories, and it’s a privilege to get to share these conversations with you.

Here’s to 6 years of Pursuing Health, and many more to come!

You can connect with Julie and Pat via Instagram @JulieFoucher, @Sherwood215

Ep 21 - Pat Sherwood on CrossFit, the Games and Quality of Life and Longevity

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and the only presidentially appointed director to serve more than one administration.  In this role, Dr. Collins oversees the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, spanning the spectrum from basic to clinical research.

A pioneer gene hunter, Dr. Collins led the Human Genome Project from 1993 until 2008. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, and the National Medal of Science in 2009 for his revolutionary contributions to genetic research.

In addition to his numerous scientific achievements, Dr. Collins also has a longstanding interest in the interface between science and faith and is the author of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.

I have been a fan of Dr. Collins since I first read his book in medical school, and given his role in the response to COVID-19, I was curious to learn more about his insights on how we can bring the pandemic to an end.  We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, from how the COVID-19 vaccine works, the impact of Long COVID, how lifestyle and precision medicine can play a role in the prevention of disease, and how Dr. Collins reconciles his faith in God with his role as a scientist.

*Dr. Collin’s bio adapted from the NIH website

You can connect with the National Institutes of Health via Instagram @nihgov

Resources:

To find a vaccine near you visit vaccines.gov or text your ZIP code to 438829

All Of Us Research Project

BioLogos Foundation

Ep 164 - Boosting Immunity and Reducing COVID Risk with Dr. Aseem Malhotra

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

Jeff Livingston is a retired maternal fetal specialist who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the relatively young age of 36 after noticing a tremor in his finger.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative, progressive neurological disorder that leads to reduced dopamine production and can result in tremors, balance problems, stiffness, and even depression.

For many years Jeff did very little to address his symptoms, but as his neurological symptoms increased and the condition grew more and more isolating, his wife and his family encouraged him to face his Parkinson’s head on. He began exercising to increase his dopamine levels and stumbled upon CrossFit. Since then, the changes he’s witnessed in his physical condition and mindset have been powerful.

Jeff and I first connected at an MDL1, and I was interested to catch up with him to learn more- not only how the high intensity component of CrossFit results in an immediate reduction in his Parkinson symptoms, but also how being a part of the CrossFit community has played such a big role in improving his mental health as well.

You can connect with Jeff via Facebook and you can learn more about the annual Fox WOD here.

Related Episodes:

Ep 169 - Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis with Jasmine Joy

Ep 114 - Practicing CrossFit for Health with Dr. Maude Dull

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice. We recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns

The secret to training success? The right type of exercise in the right dose for the right person.

Dr. Mark Goodman is an emergency and sports medicine physician who utilizes this secret  to help athletes understand how to make the most of their time spent in the gym.  Dr. Goodman received his medical training at Oregon Health and Science University and completed his residency at University of Utah, followed by a fellowship in Sports Medicine.  He has worked with athletes of all levels and volunteered as a physician for the Cascade Cycling Classic, USA Olympic Speed Skating and University of Utah team sports. 

As the Director of Sports Medicine for Wild Health, a genomics based medicine practice, Dr. Goodman applies his passion for health and performance optimization to provide personalized care for issues surrounding athletes of all levels.

In this episode, Dr. Goodman and I talk about the role genetics play in our response to training, including how they can indicate what our training strengths and weaknesses will be, how much recovery time we need, and which supplements will benefit us the most. We even dig into my personal genomics and talk about some of the factors that might have contributed to my success as a CrossFit athlete.

You can connect with Dr. Goodman via Instagram @precisionsportsdoc

Ep 108 - Training Smarter, Not Harder: Prevention and Recovery from Injury with Pure Physio

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

At age 20, Sarah Adams was surprised to learn she had Asperger Syndrome.

She had taken advanced classes in school, played competitive sports, attended college, and overall enjoyed a happy, healthy childhood.

After receiving her diagnosis, some of the symptoms and signs of the condition she experienced as a child began to make sense.

Rather than feel limited by her diagnosis, Sarah has been able to use this knowledge as a powerful tool, implementing strategies to be successful in both her personal and professional lives.  In this episode, we chat about what it was like to be diagnosed with a developmental disorder later in life, how CrossFit plays a role in keeping her balanced, and the importance of surrounding yourself with a community of friends and family for support.

Related Episodes:

Ep 176 - Pursuing Wild Health: Women are Not Small Men with Dr. Stacy Sims

Ep 75 - Growth Through Adversity with Kyle Maynard

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice. We recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns

"Imagine you’re doing thrusters, but you can breathe like you’re going for a walk."

Max Finkbeiner and Kate Caines have developed a methodology to help do just that.  By using science, data, targeted assessments, and technology, they derive relative intensity personalized to individuals.  These athletes can then use this information to inform their training, making sure to work on all of their energy systems with their own personal targets in mind. 

This methodology is not just limited to elite athletes, either.  Max and Kate have implemented this style of training with members at their location, as well as remotely, and found that by taking intensity back a notch, their members not only feel better, but also have an increased work capacity even on high intensity efforts.  They’ve seen these paced methods elicit improvement across all metrics of health and wellness making training sustainable, purposeful, and vital to a bigger life.

You can connect with Max and Kate via their website and Instagram @tickerfitness.

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

Scott Switzer is a former athlete, CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, and a familiar face at CrossFit events across the country.  He has a remarkable transformation story, having lost nearly 250 pounds and reversing his diabetes with the help of his neighbor, his family, and his CrossFit community.

But Scott’s journey has not been without setbacks.  Back surgery, a vascular condition, and an ongoing struggle with depression have resulted in regaining weight, but he’s not giving up.  

In this episode, Scott shares his incredibly inspiring mindset around how he’s improving his mental and physical health.  We chat about the ups and downs of his journey: how he recognized he needed to get help from a professional, how he’s found the courage to make big changes in his life, and how he continues to work his way back towards fitness.

You can connect with Scott via Instagram @clydesdale_fitnessandfriends

Related Episodes:

Ep 92 - Bob Harper on Surviving a Heart Attack

Ep 165 - Thriving on the Unexpected: Cory Schmidgall

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating or share your feedback on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice. We recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns