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What if the “safe” healthcare career isn’t actually the smarter financial move?

In this episode, we break down the real numbers behind becoming a physical therapist versus a personal trainer. Tuition costs, certification timelines, starting salaries, raises, student loan interest, income caps, and long term take home pay.

We compare a $250,000 Doctor of Physical Therapy path (with 6.8% interest and $3,000 monthly loan payments) against a $1,500 personal training certification, and examine what happens over a ten year window when one career starts earning immediately and the other spends seven years in school.

This isn’t about bashing physical therapy. If you’re called to clinical rehab inside the healthcare system, PT can be the right choice. But if you care about speed to income, lower debt risk, transferable skills, and scalable opportunity, personal training deserves a serious look.

We also unpack:
• how raises actually work (not just on paper)
• why early income compounds harder than higher starting salaries
• realistic salary caps in both careers
• ownership, management, and online coaching paths
• the myth that personal training “isn’t a real career”

If this breakdown helped clarify your path, subscribe, share it with someone weighing these careers, and drop a comment telling us which route you’re choosing, and why.

Welcome to The Anthony Amen Show, where fitness, health, and mindset come together to help you become the strongest version of yourself. Hosted by Anthony Amen, founder of Redefine Fitness, the show features real conversations with experts, athletes, doctors, and everyday people overcoming adversity.

Each episode covers evidence-based fitness, nutrition, injury prevention, strength training, mental resilience, and lifestyle habits that support long-term change. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just real education, honest discussion, and practical insights to help you take control of your health.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not provide medical or physical therapy advice. Any exercises or techniques discussed are general examples and not a substitute for care from a licensed professional. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health or fitness routine.

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You can’t scale chaos.
In this episode, Anthony breaks down the uncomfortable decisions that saved Redefine Fitness. 

From cutting 45 offers down to 3, embracing radical transparency, & learning why systems beat hustle every time.

If you’re building a service business, this is the episode that will challenge how you think about money, leadership, & growth.

👇 Full breakdown below.

You can’t scale chaos, & most founders don’t realize they’re building it.

We talk honestly about money, leadership, & survival. From Epidemic shutdowns & lost revenue to rebuilding through systems, documentation, & staying visible when everything stopped. Anthony shares why frontline staff often need to out earn the owner early on, how to think about smart debt vs. bad debt, & why perfectionism kills momentum.

If you’re building a service business & feel stuck in the grind, this episode delivers a practical playbook: niche down, respect the math, document everything, & keep shipping… especially when it’s not glamorous.

👉 Subscribe, share, & comment the one belief about business you’re unlearning this year.

🎥 New episode is live now

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RFK’s shift on U.S. dietary guidelines sparks a hard reset on low fat dogma and the war on red meat. We connect the dots between chronic disease, ultra processed foods, and a return to real, satisfying meals built on protein and natural fats.

• Why flipping the food pyramid challenges low fat norms
• The scale of chronic illness and obesity in the U.S.
•The case for saturated fat and red meat in a balanced diet
• The role of sugar and ultra processed foods in weight gain
• Why older studies fell short and how industry swayed views
• Practical targets for protein, fat, and real food choices
• Simple swaps like butter and whole milk for better satiety

Nutrition just got a plot twist: the old low fat playbook is out, and real food is back in the spotlight. We dig into RFK’s move to flip the food pyramid logic and explore what it means for anyone tired of chasing conflicting diet rules while feeling worse year after year. With chronic conditions rising and obesity entrenched, we ask a simple question what if the default guidance has been steering us away from the foods that keep us strong and satisfied?

We break down why saturated fat and red meat deserve a fair hearing, not a blanket ban, and how shaky, industry influenced research helped sugar and ultra processed foods skate by for decades. You’ll hear a frank look at study quality, confounders, and why observational headlines rarely translate into smart decisions at the dinner table. Then we get practical: how to center meals on protein, include natural fats, and use fruits and vegetables to round out a plate that actually keeps you full. From butter over margarine to whole milk instead of skim, we show why simple swaps can change your energy, cravings, and mood.

By the end, you’ll have a clear blueprint to cut the noise: eat real food, prioritize protein, hit your fat targets, and choose carbs that match your activity. No moralizing, no macros obsession just a balanced approach that respects how the body works and fits real life. If this conversation helps you rethink your plate and your pantry, share it with a friend who’s still stuck in the low-fat maze, subscribe for future segments, and leave a quick review to tell us what you want unpacked next.

If you love this and you want more, reach out, happy to do it.

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What most people don’t realize is that the same skills required to build a sustainable business are the exact skills required to build a sustainable body—and a stable life.

In this episode, Anthony Amen is interviewed about the behind-the-scenes realities of entrepreneurship, leadership, and long-term health. We break down the shift from being a passionate coach to becoming a true operator: learning systems, respecting numbers, managing emotions, and thinking in decades instead of weeks. This isn’t about hustle culture or shortcuts—it’s about designing a life that can actually hold success.

Anthony shares the frameworks he uses to make high-stakes decisions: when to stay in a 9–5 while building, when asymmetric upside justifies risk, and how the “work-back” method clarifies a 10–20 year future. We also talk about proximity and influence, losing friendships along the way, and how personal growth often requires uncomfortable separation.

The conversation gets personal. Anthony opens up about rebuilding his relationship at home, learning emotional regulation under pressure, and realizing that physical training is meaningless if the nervous system, habits, and relationships are broken. The throughline is ownership—of health, reactions, finances, leadership, and legacy.

This episode is for driven adults who want more than aesthetics. If you’re trying to build a body that supports your career, a business that doesn’t cost you your family, and habits that actually compound over time, this conversation will give you the mental models to do it right.

This is the philosophy behind Redefine Fitness: train for life capacity, not just the mirror.

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This episode of The Anthony Amen Show breaks down why most people fail before the New Year even begins — and how to fix it for good.

Anthony explains why traditional New Year’s resolutions don’t work, and why motivation-based goal setting almost always leads to burnout, frustration, and quitting. Instead of vague promises like “lose weight” or “make more money,” he walks through a practical, numbers-based framework that turns big goals into realistic, achievable actions.

The conversation dives into SMART goals, prioritization, and why breaking goals down by month, week, and even hour removes overwhelm and decision paralysis. Using real-world business and fitness examples, Anthony shows how massive goals — like building a million-dollar business — become attainable when you focus on systems, vehicles, and consistent execution instead of hype.

This episode also challenges how people approach New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, explaining why starting exhausted, hungover, and unfocused sets you up for failure — and how changing that single habit can shift the entire year ahead.

This episode is for:
• Anyone tired of failing New Year’s resolutions
• Entrepreneurs who want clarity instead of chaos
• Fitness professionals and business owners who want real growth
• People who want structure, not motivation

If you want to start the year with clarity, discipline, and a plan that actually compounds, this episode will change how you approach the next 12 months.

Subscribe to The Anthony Amen Show for grounded conversations on fitness, business, leadership, and life.

Share this episode with someone serious about making this year different.

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This episode of The Anthony Amen Show is different — Anthony is the one in the hot seat.

In a raw, unfiltered interview, Anthony breaks down what it actually takes to move from coach to entrepreneur, and why most fitness professionals never make the jump. We talk about the unglamorous realities behind building a real business: learning to love numbers and systems, deciding whether you’re an operator or a hobbyist, and using long-term thinking to design a life that doesn’t collapse under success.

Anthony shares how his passion for coaching evolved into building scalable machines that help more people — and how that shift demanded emotional regulation, better habits, and uncomfortable risk. The conversation covers season-of-life decisions, including when to keep a 9–5 while building at night, when asymmetric upside justifies going all-in, and how to apply “gym logic” to business growth.

It gets personal. Anthony opens up about losing friendships, rebuilding his relationship with the woman who became his wife, and learning how proximity, environment, and ownership shape outcomes — in business and in life.

This episode is for:

• Fitness professionals who want more than trading hours for dollars
• Entrepreneurs balancing ambition with relationships
• Anyone building something meaningful who feels the weight of responsibility

If you’re trying to scale without burning out — or wondering what the real cost of growth looks like — this conversation gives you frameworks, not fluff.

Subscribe to The Anthony Amen Show for grounded conversations on fitness, business, leadership, and life. Share this episode with someone building their next chapter.

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Throwback Episode | The Anthony Amen Show (formerly Health & Fitness Redefined)

What if the hardest part of fitness isn’t the workout—but choosing the long game when no one’s watching?

In this throwback episode of The Anthony Amen Show, formerly known as Health & Fitness Redefined, Anthony sits down with Jordan Syatt to break down what actually drives long-term health, fat loss, and strength. From starting as an eight-year-old wrestler to becoming a science-driven coach, Jordan shares how consistency—not intensity—built his career, his online business, and his three-year run coaching Gary Vaynerchuk every single day with no breaks.

This conversation goes deeper than workouts. We unpack the psychology of behavior change, why all-or-nothing thinking sabotages progress, and how food guilt turns small setbacks into spirals. Jordan explains how simple anchors—adequate protein, fiber, sleep, and just two strength training sessions per week—create momentum that actually lasts.

As the founder of Redefine Fitness, Anthony connects these lessons directly to what he sees daily in a high-end personal training environment. We discuss why health outcomes continue to decline despite more gyms, more apps, and more information than ever—and how ultra-convenience, isolation, and hyper-palatable foods work against us. The solution isn’t extremes; it’s building systems, structure, and habits that make the healthy choice the easy choice.

This episode reflects the core philosophy behind Redefine Fitness and The Anthony Amen Show:
train smarter, build strength for life, and prioritize habits that improve physical and mental health long after the workout ends.

If you’re looking for a realistic, science-backed approach to strength training, fat loss, sustainable fitness, and long-term health, this episode delivers a clear blueprint.

Subscribe to The Anthony Amen Show for expert conversations on fitness, nutrition, performance, and behavior change. Share this episode with someone who needs a reset—and leave a review to help others discover the show.

What’s the one habit you’re committing to this week?

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Throwback Episode: The future you doesn’t have to be fragile. We unpack a practical blueprint for getting stronger, steadier, and more independent after 50—without chasing extremes or living in the gym. With Graham from Renewed After 50, we break down why resistance training is the most reliable lever for better bones, better balance, and a better mood, and how a few power-focused movements translate directly into real life: lifting grandkids, loading groceries, and catching yourself before a fall.

We go deeper than the usual “move more, eat better” advice. You’ll hear how to structure a week around full-body strength, safe power work at 70–85% of your max, cardio that supports heart and brain health, and short daily blocks for mobility and balance. On nutrition, we keep it simple and honest: choose mostly unprocessed foods, prioritize quality protein, read labels like a pro, and use an 80–20 approach so health and joy can coexist. We call out hidden trans fats, discuss plant-forward patterns and lean game meats, and share easy pantry swaps that cut inflammation without cutting flavor.

Motivation often starts with a wake-up call—osteopenia on a scan, a stumble on the stairs, a warning about type 2 diabetes. We offer a stronger story: treat fitness like a retirement fund and start “banking” strength, mobility, and metabolic health today. The payoff is a “square” life curve—years of high function, then a short decline—rather than a long slope into dependence.

If you want simple steps to feel capable again, this conversation hands you the plan and the why behind it.

Subscribe for more practical training strategies, share this with someone who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. What’s the first habit you’ll start this week?

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What if your recovery plan and daily health choices mattered more than any diagnosis code ever could? In this powerful episode, Dr. Karen Shanks joins us to break down why true healing starts long before medications—and why movement, nutrition, sleep, trauma awareness, and agency are the real drivers of recovery.

Dr. Karen shares her journey from conventional internal medicine into a prevention-focused practice built on systems biology, root-cause thinking, and actually listening to patients. We talk about why chronic fatigue, post-op pain, and slow recoveries often remain unsolved—not because people are “broken,” but because the system is.

You’ll learn why graded movement accelerates surgical healing, how gentle loading reduces pain, why lymphatic flow matters, and how immobilization delays progress. We explore evidence-to-practice delays, flawed incentives in healthcare, and outdated measurements like BMI and low-fat dogma still taught today.

Most importantly, we dig into agency: you are hiring your clinician, not giving up control. We discuss the mind–muscle connection, epigenetics, neuroplasticity, and how everyday choices—protein intake, strength work, sleep, stress, connection—reshape your biology from the inside out.

Whether you’re recovering from injury, navigating chronic symptoms, or simply want better health, this episode gives you clear tools to start today. Share it with someone who needs direction, and comment with the one action you’re taking this week.

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The wellness world is louder than ever—trends, shortcuts, and conflicting advice everywhere you turn. On this episode of The Anthony Amen Show, I sit down with author and health coach Jen Trepik to cut through the noise and get back to what actually works. At Redefine Fitness, we always say fitness is medicine, and this conversation gives you the blueprint for building a body that performs the way you want it to—long term.

We kick things off with a simple question: What does “worked” mean to you?
If your goals are better energy, deeper sleep, pain-free movement, or strength that carries you through life, then the method matters as much as the outcome. That’s where most people get stuck. Short-term tactics look impressive, but long-term systems actually transform you.

Together, we break down the biggest myths that keep people spinning:

• Calories aren’t equal when your biology is running the show.
• Protein’s thermic effect changes metabolism more than people think.
• Fiber and the gut-brain connection shift cravings without relying on “discipline.”
• Quick fixes like GLP-1s come with real trade-offs people rarely talk about.
• Eating out vs. cooking isn’t just about calories—it’s about control and consistency.
• Variety still matters for micronutrients, resilience, and recovery.

Jen lays out a biostack—nutrition, movement, hydration, stress management, sleep, and connection—that mirrors the exact foundation we use at Redefine Fitness in Stony Brook and Mount Sinai. When these six pillars work together, every small habit you love finally has leverage.

We also dig into the identity side of change. Community shapes who you become. Surround yourself with people who normalize the habits you want, and progress accelerates. Build simple plates around protein, produce, and quality fats. Anchor your mornings. Protect your sleep window. Stack repeatable wins even on chaotic days.

If you feel stuck between fatigue and fads, this episode is your permission to ignore the noise, choose your trade-offs intentionally, and let your body’s feedback drive your next step. That’s how lasting health is built—inside the gym and outside it.

Grab Jen’s book Uncomplicating Wellness, listen to her podcast Salad with a Side of Fries, and then come join us on the journey.
If this resonated, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review telling us the one habit you’re starting this week.

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