The Andy Pho Podcast

During his third day of five consecutive back to back tattoo sessions, I decided to record a bit of our day talking about the concepts and meaning of his new leg sleeve based on the Four Virtues of Stoicism, and how it's evolved and practiced throughout our lives.Ky Hollenbeck is a 5 time world champion Muy Thai fighter, a fire fighter in San Fransisco, and a great human being. I realized we've known each other since about 2017 when I did his first tattoo on his chest, and over the years has expanded to covering the entire left side of his body.Thank you Ky for your trust, friendship and for sharing a bit of your wisdom with us in this episode.

Taking my own advice from the podcast’s first episode: Just Start! It’s been 6 months since the last episode (011) and after a long hiatus, we setup two cameras at Upside Tattoo and hit record.

I wanted to do an episode with Thyris Rodney eventually since he started working together with us this year. After talking to my client about wanting to do another podcast, Thyris asks when we’re going to do ours and I said “now”. If it wasn’t now, I don’t know when I would have started. Thank you Thyris for asking, and you’re welcome listeners for listening. Here we go!

00:00 Widening Perspectives Through Traveling
15:37 The Marks & Meaning in Tattooing
20:34 Anesthesia Tattoos
25:04 Being Sober: On Quitting Drinking, Smoking Weed, and Mushrooms
31:52 The Big Takeaway
41:07 Substances (With and Without) As a Tool for Introspection
51:48 Extreme Personalities and Addiction
59:49 Gamer Identity & Gaming Addiction
01:05:47 Being Enough Versus Self Improvement
01:15:20 Why Do You Feel You Did Ink Master?

Recorded on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 4:45PM CST

This video took me a few tries to record, but that’s part of the process—just like life. I wanted to share my thoughts on patience, frustration, and how every interaction and challenge is a mirror for our own growth.

Spending time with my 21-month-old son over spring break made me reflect on how my expectations shape my emotions. Whether it's parenting, work, relationships, or personal goals, I've realized that frustration isn’t about others—it’s about me. We set expectations for how things should go, but life doesn’t always follow our plans.

Through experiences in business, managing people, and personal relationships, I’ve learned that setting boundaries and clear expectations is key. Whether it’s helping someone break out of self-sabotage, managing a team, or even just navigating daily frustrations, the focus should be on what we can control—our reactions, our patience, and our willingness to grow.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in cycles of frustration, this video might give you a new perspective. Let’s talk about it in the comments—how do you manage expectations and set boundaries in your own life?

00:00 People & Situations are Mirrors for Us
02:27 Patience: Cultivated When it's Beyond our Expectations
07:59 Self-Sabotage: When What Needs to Be Done is Known, but Doesn't Happen
14:09 Setting Boundaries: Knowing What You Want & Clear Communication
20:54 Post Letting Go: How to Set Better Boundaries & Expectations
26:19 "Bad People": That's the Best of Someone at a Particular Time & Place

👉 Like, comment, and subscribe if this resonated with you. More thoughts and reflections coming soon.

Recorded on Monday, March 17, 2025 1:45PM

#SelfGrowth #Frustration #Boundaries #Mindset #PersonalDevelopment

Stillness isn’t just found in silence—it can exist even in motion. In this episode, I reflect on how running becomes a form of moving meditation, a way to break free from repetitive thoughts and reconnect with the present moment. I explore the connection between movement and mindfulness, how we can quiet the mind while staying in motion, and why some of our best ideas emerge when we stop forcing them.

Through breath, awareness, and intentional pauses, we can create space for clarity and creativity to flow. Whether you're running, walking, or simply navigating the chaos of daily life, learning to embrace "stillness in motion" might just change the way you approach your thoughts, challenges, and personal growth.

Recorded Monday, March 3, 2025 5:02AM

A Short & Powerful Practice in Mindfulness

00:00 Guided Breathwork & Gratitude Prompt
07:33 Your Gratitude Reflection
08:03 The Power of Mindful Breathing and Gratitude
11:52 A Quick Way to Recenter and Reset

I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I know your time is valuable and there are so many podcasts, videos, and books that you could be reading, watching, and listening to. Thank you for sharing your time and energy with me. 🙏❤️

Recorded Monday, February 24, 2025 7:00 AM

Fresh off of 13.1 and 26.2 Miles, I get to sit with one of the most positive people I've have the pleasure to create and live amongst, artist Dontavious Davis and unpack the 2025 Austin Marathon experience.

00:00 Intro
01:53 2025 Austin Marathon & Half Marathon
23:21 Cultivating a Positive Mindset
27:53 You Choose Your Thoughts & Feelings
31:31 A "Good Father" may not be a good father, a "Bad Father" may be a good father
38:02 The Critique Ladder: How To Critique Better
43:04 The Aesthetic of Dontavious Davis
50:32 Tattoo Conventions, Under Dogs and Winners

I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I know your time is valuable and there are so many podcasts, videos, and books that you could be reading, watching, and listening to. Thank you for sharing your time and energy with me. 🙏❤️

Recorded Sunday, February 16, 2025 6:16PM

 "How does becoming a family man change your worldview and how do you use that in the tattoo world?" I reflected on that question, recalling two stories from my recent trip to New York and one from my childhood.

In this episode, you’ll time travel a bit, connect with several generations of family, and maybe even hit some soft spots if you're a dad, a parent, or soon-to-be parent. It might also offer some valuable insights and perspectives, especially if you’re a tattoo artist.

00:00 Intro
2:07 Analyze Action & Results, then Improve: Mindset for Family, Work, Art, & Tea
5:41 Story Time 1: Acting Before Asking
13:45 Story Time 2: My Missed Allowance from Dad
18:01 Story Time 3: I Yelled "Stop Yelling!"
24:43 When you know what needs to change, Laser Focus.
28:30 How would you have liked to be parented or taught tattooing?

I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I know your time is valuable and there are so many podcasts, videos, and books that you could be reading, watching, and listening to. Thank you for sharing your time and energy with me. If you resonated with this episode, share your thoughts in the comments, like this video, leave a review and subscribe for more. 🙏❤️

Recorded on Sunday, February 9, 2025 6:45AM

How many people do you know that have ran 2911 Miles across America? I know just one and it's Zoon Nguyen, founder of Kraken Media Marketing and New Legacy.

With the dream to set everything aside and make this a reality along with the goal of donating one million meals to Feeding America, getting to see him share his experience in real time as he posted his progress on Instagram every day for 5 months was incredible.

On September 30, 2024 we had him at Upside Tattoo again to work with us and we recorded this episode to get into the mindset and the challenges, leading up to and during the run, as well as what's to come after.

00:00 Running Across America with Zoon Nguyen
19:00 Unstoppable: Headspace During 5 Months of Running
26:17 Coming to America Story: Life is What You Make of It
33:59 New Legacy: Going After Greatness
38:52 Kraken Media: Story Telling Through Movie Making

I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I know your time is valuable and there's so many podcasts, videos, and books that you could be reading, watching, and listening to. Thank you for sharing your time and energy with me. If you resonated with this episode, share your thoughts in the comments, like this video, and subscribe for more. 🙏❤️

https://www.youtube.com/@Zoon.Nguyen
https://www.instagram.com/zoon.nguyen/
https://www.instagram.com/official.kraken.media

Recorded Monday September 30, 2024

 What matters to you? Why does your business exist? Why show up everyday to work?

Today I get the privilege of sharing this conversation with my good friend Dr. Chris Stepien of Barefoot Rehab in Denville, NJ and co-founder of Adhesion Release Methods. I intended this to be the first podcast episode, however delayed its release 5 months later because I over thought the technical aspects of it. Listening to it now, I couldn't care about the technical flaws of background noise, video quality, and my less than perfect introduction (I was going somewhere with it though!)

Chris has changed my life physically (he's fixed my lower back, knee, and ankle pain), influenced the reason and meaning of why I operate Upside Tattoo and work with people the way that I do, and has been a guide to help me break through mental and creative blocks.

00:00 This episode was recorded 5 months ago--why it was delayed
02:19 Dr Chris Stepien: "I Play Pain Doctor/Teacher" on TV
04:17 The Heart & Mind of Chris & his tattoos
09:21 Running a Professional Clinic & Expression as an Antidote to Depression, Shame, and Suicidal Ideation
14:30 Finding a Tattoo Artist You Connect With
19:04 Mushroom Story: Creativity, Channeling & The Tattoo Process, How can I better create for the client?
25:33 Why Does this Clinic Exist? Barefoot Rehab Inspiration for Upside Tattoo
33:01 Vision, Mission & Values: Managing & Evolving Your Business
43:24 What Matters to You?

I hope you've enjoyed this episode. I know your time is valuable and there's so many podcasts, videos, and books that you could be reading, watching, and listening to. Thank you for sharing your time and energy with me. If you resonated with this episode, share your thoughts in the comments, like this video, and subscribe for more. 🙏❤️

To learn more about Dr Chris Stepien, check out this video of my treatments at Barefoot Rehab: Tattoo Artist Fixes 8 Years of Hamstring Pain & Low Back Pain!     • Tattoo Artist Fixes 8 Years of Hamstr...   

YouTube     / @drchrisstepienclips   

Instagram    / drchrisstepien   

Instagram    / barefootrehab   

Barefoot Rehab, 26 Bloomfield Avenue, Denville, New Jersey 07834

Conversation recorded on August 31, 2024
Intro recorded on January 26, 2025

My 19 month old son is always excited to help me make coffee; he's been working his way up to more steps, pushing more buttons, and most recently helping me get my coffee mug. This week however, he threw/dropped one of my favorite mugs down and it broke.

No worries though, it was bound to be broken at some point in time. There's some things I've learned to expect from teaching a toddler to help and how to do things: things break, we learn, we grow, and we move on. Impermanence in a constantly changing world; we can live better remembering that.

This week we answer some questions from my Instagram Broadcast Channel (if you haven't seen or joined it yet, it's at the bottom on my Instagram bio)

The Andy Pho Podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

00:00 Impermanence: The Mug is Already Broken
05:56 Let People Go & Build Them Up Anyway
09:29 The Sun Gives Without Expectations
11:10 Instagram Broadcast Channel: Updates
12:51 Q&A: Core Values That Guides Decisions and Actions
15:55 Parting Ways in a Relationship
20:11 Q&A: Drive & Motivation, Avoiding Burnout
22:41 Your Calling is Bigger than Motivation
24:21 Burnout is Temporary
35:45 Q&A: The Pause -- Help During Challenge Moments, Reframing Tough Situations Positively
41:01 Storytime: Throwing Things & Questioning Reactions for the First Time
44:41 You're Perfect Where You're At, But We Can Always Be Better

I know your time is valuable and there's so many podcasts, videos, and books that you could be reading, watching, and listening to. Thank you for sharing your time and energy with me. If you resonated with this episode, share your thoughts in the comments, like this video, and subscribe for more. 🙏❤️

Recorded Sunday, January 19, 2024 6:58AM