Pursuit of Balance

The words you use don’t just describe your life. They shape it. In Episode 62 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey breaks down how language changes what we see, how our bodies respond, the habits we build, and how we show up for the people around us. Plus five simple word swaps you can start using today, and why body language may be the most powerful language of all.

0:00 Intro

Baby Leo is here! In Episode 60 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey shares the story of his son's birth, what two weeks of fatherhood have already taught him about presence, patience, and purpose, and the common parenting myths he isn't buying, from "good luck with your workouts" to "your life will revolve around the baby." Whether you're a parent now or hoping to be one, this one's for you.

0:00 Don't try to be perfect, find your perfect

In episode 59 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey breaks down a phrase he's been living by for almost a decade: never let the next thing ruin the current thing. He shares the story of nearly opening a second gym a year into Functional Lifestyles, why he cut it (and the meal prep business) in the same week, and how the same pattern still shows up in his real estate investing today. Along the way he covers the four reasons we get pulled toward the future (future focus as avoidance, a nervous system that doesn't trust calm, identity tied to trajectory, and the arrival fallacy), a client example of overtraining by chasing the next thing, and the 100 battery rule for allocating your energy. If you've ever caught yourself waiting for Friday, the finish line, or "once I get there," this one's for you.

Testosterone levels have been falling roughly 1% a year for decades, and it's not just an aging story. In episode 58, Corey digs into what testosterone actually does, why the "normal" range is so wide, and where the evidence for the decline is strong versus where it's just correlation. He breaks down what lowers it (visceral fat, poor sleep, sleep apnea, insulin resistance, chronic stress, very low fat diets, aggressive calorie restriction) and what raises it (fat loss, strength training, conditioning done correctly, whole food nutrition, vitamin D and zinc). Plus his take on TRT, why carnivore is an elimination diet and not a lifestyle, and why sleep and stress keep turning out to be the foundation underneath all of it.

Episode 57. Everything is poison at a high enough dose, and almost nothing is poison at a low enough one. Corey breaks down a three part framework for thinking about it: dose, capacity, and recovery, and applies it to sun exposure, training frequency, carbs, keto and carnivore dogma, sauna and cold plunge, alcohol, and stress. If you've ever been told to cut something out entirely, this one is for you.

Is functional training BS? In episode 56 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey breaks down why the answer depends entirely on your outcome, why the fitness internet loves to dunk on the word, and the five universal layers that belong in every single person's program regardless of their goal. Covered in this episode: Why function is defined by outcome, not by a movement style Corey's own path through sports, bodybuilding, CrossFit, physique, and corrective exercise Where the criticism of functional training is actually fair The five universal layers: breathing mechanics, gait, multi-directional movement, unilateral training, and aerobic base The seven movement patterns behind smart programming Why the goal is to stop depending on your chiropractor, PT, and massage therapist Ego versus true alignment in how you choose to train Functional Lifestyles is a semi-private training gym in Palo Alto and Mountain View, CA, built on a movement-first approach with ten members per class and two coaches on the floor. #PursuitOfBalance #FunctionalTraining #StrengthAndConditioning #MovementFirst #Hyrox #CorrectiveExercise

Episode 54 of Pursuit of Balance. This one started with a quarterly review with one of my coaches and turned into a full breakdown of human motivation. I walk through the ten things that drive us, from money and status to impact, autonomy, identity, and fear, and I split them into three categories: fuel that burns fast, fuel that burns slow, and fuel that compounds. I also get into whether a competitive personality is actually required for success, what I found when I went looking for the research, and Robert Greene's mastery arc from his book Mastery, including apprenticeship, deliberate practice, finding a mentor, and social intelligence. If you have ever felt motivated in seasons and flat in others, this one is for you.

Does having money make you healthier — or does being healthy make you more money?

In Episode 53, Corey works through both directions and the dark side of chasing either one too hard. The 15-year lifespan gap between the richest and poorest 1% and why it's mostly behavioral. Why 72% of adults stressing about money makes personal finance a legitimate health intervention. The 9% earnings premium for people who train. Healthspan as earnspan. Purpose and a 46% lower mortality risk. And the cost of the grind — 55-hour weeks, stroke and heart disease risk, and why entrepreneurs are twice as likely to face depression.

Plus: why wealth is really just the time you can buy back, and why the goal was never more time off — it was better time.

In Episode 52 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey tackles a listener question about healthcare burnout and turns it into a bigger conversation: why the American system is built for sick care, not health care. He digs into why we spend more than any country yet rank near the bottom on outcomes, why medical training leaves doctors under-equipped on nutrition and lifestyle, and why the people working inside hospitals are often the ones struggling most with their own health. Then he lays out the practical playbook — movement, whole foods, community, sleep, and stress management — for staying out of the system in the first place, whether you work rotating shifts or a standard 9-to-5.