This marks the tenth and final episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society. 

Dan Uyemura, founder and CEO of PushPress, has a rare vantage point: data from thousands of CrossFit affiliates around the world. In this conversation, he breaks down what separates thriving gyms from struggling ones, why engagement matters more than marketing, and how technology can amplify, not replace, the human experience at the heart of CrossFit.

From the “golden rule” for new members to the psychology behind retention, Dan and host Jocelyn Rylee dig into how affiliate owners can build stronger communities, smarter systems, and more sustainable businesses.

TOPICS INCLUDED

Community Highlight

The FDNY Barbell Club doesn’t just fight fires. They train like their lives depend on it.

Founded in 2019 by firefighter Rick Roman, the department’s official CrossFit team blends competition, camaraderie, and accountability inside a firehouse gym outfitted with ropes, rowers, and barbells.

They push through classic CrossFit workouts, monthly throwdowns, and competitions from local events to the World Police and Fire Games, where Roman and his teammates recently landed on the podium.

For them, every rep has a deeper purpose: staying ready. In full gear, firefighters carry 60 to 130 lb into life-or-death situations, and CrossFit builds the strength, stamina, and grit they need when the alarm bell rings.

“You want to do it right, do it hard, and make sure everyone goes home.”

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]]

The CrossFit Podcast team is pulling back the curtain for this special episode. Get a look behind the scenes at what it took to restart the CrossFit Podcast, what we learned the hard way, and the top moments of the show in 2025. 

Spend a little bit of your holiday season with us — Denise Thomas, Jocelyn Rylee, and Maggie Mullen. We hope this episode brings you some holiday cheer, ideas for what to binge next, and a bit of perspective on what matters most.

From all of us to you and your family — both CrossFit and nuclear — happy holidays, and please tell us how 12 Days of Christmas (or whatever WOD you’re hitting) goes. 

Topics Covered

Episodes Mentioned

Resources Mentioned

Community Highlight

CrossFit PolFed RAC exists because one officer, Pierre De Pelsemaeker-Godart, kept sharing something he cared about.

In 2010, when his team in the Brussels Federal Judicial Police moved into an unfinished government building, Pierre had just discovered CrossFit. With no gym, no equipment, and no dedicated space, he organized workouts wherever he could—outside in the park, inside the office, and eventually in an empty underground concrete room.

Pierre led his colleagues in building a training space from scratch using pallets, cardboard, and bodyweight movements. More officers joined because the workouts were simple, consistent, and open to anyone.

By 2014, a small sports room became their home base. They pooled money for second-hand equipment, competed in the CrossFit Open, and officially founded the nonprofit CrossFit PolFed RAC.

Years later, the affiliate is still active, serving dozens of members, because one person believed training together could change his workplace — and did the work to make it real.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]].

In this episode, Denise Thomas sits down with Mark England, co-founder of Enlifted Coaching, to unpack the real meaning of “mindset,” not as a buzzword, but as the story you tell yourself.

A former MMA fighter turned educator, Mark shares how injuries and failure led him to discover transformational wordsmithing: the process of changing your internal dialogue to change your life. He walks through practical tools that anyone, especially coaches and athletes, can use to rewrite limiting stories, calm their nervous system, and reclaim control through language and breath.

This one’s part conversation, part masterclass. Grab a pen.

TOPICS INCLUDED

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Community Highlight

After two car accidents and a diagnosis of early-stage Parkinson’s, Becky Johnson refused to give up.

Just days after spine surgery, she walked into CrossFit Loco Ocho — neck brace and all — to do her version of Murph.

“Having a strong baseline of fitness prepares you for whatever life throws your way,” she says.

“This is the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum in action. I got a devastating diagnosis, but I already had the antidote.”

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]].

This marks the ninth episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society. 

Italy once held one of the lowest obesity rates in the developed world, but that’s changing fast. CrossFit Country Manager and longtime affiliate owner Matteo Pozzati joins the show to talk about the cultural shift in Italy, the rise of chronic disease, and how CrossFit is stepping in to rebuild true health from the ground up.

Matteo shares his journey from coaching in Venice to teaching hospital workers how to move safely, leading Italy’s affiliate community, and fighting to preserve CrossFit’s identity amid the noise of mainstream fitness.

He and host Jocelyn Rylee discuss why elite coaching matters, how education is the bridge to better health, and what it’ll take to connect CrossFit affiliates and healthcare systems worldwide.

Topics Covered

Community Highlight

For nearly two decades, Erin Richter has been fighting for health on the front lines — and refusing to give up.

She opened CrossFit Old School in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2008, staying there, as she put it, “because this was the area that needed it the most.”

Today, her affiliate serves kids as young as 3 and adults in their 80s. She partners with addiction recovery centers, supports people with disabilities, and helps those told they’d never squat again find their strength.

She’s built nonprofits, raised thousands for local causes, and worked with the state to bring CrossFit into public schools.

Erin doesn’t chase PRs or the spotlight, just impact. In a city dubbed the “Obesity Capital of the U.S.,” she’s quietly changing lives every day.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]].

This marks the eighth episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society. 

CrossFit Podcast producer Maggie Mullen steps out from backstage for a raw, unfiltered conversation about body image, nutrition, and the culture of CrossFit. From her early days as a competitor and fueling to perform, to finding balance, Maggie opens up about food neurosis, body dysmorphia, and an alternative view of diet culture.

This episode digs into the tension between discipline and obsession, aesthetics and health, and what it really means to chase your best self inside the gym and out.

TOPICS INCLUDED

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Community Highlight

Duncan Seawell is a clinical psychologist and the president of Forging Youth Resilience (FYR), a nonprofit helping gyms open their doors to kids who otherwise couldn’t access CrossFit.

He launched a Steve’s Club chapter in Denver in 2015 and helped shape FYR into what it is today: a network of 20 active clubs reaching thousands of youth, from foster care to incarceration to kids just trying to find their place.

FYR partners with schools, gyms, and foster homes to deliver trauma-informed CrossFit, covering coaching, transportation, and nutrition. But its heart is FYR Camp, a week-long mountain retreat where kids train, hike, and sit in nightly circles to share their stories.

“It’s sort of a group therapy light context,” Duncan says. “One kid says, ‘I’ve been through this,’ and another says, ‘Me too.’ The power of that connection is amazing.”

As Duncan puts it: “Kids are growing unhealthier in all kinds of ways — physical, mental, metabolic. The solution is prevention. Our job is to make sure no kid is kept out of a gym because of money.”

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]].

Dr. Nick (aka The Fittest Doc) joins Jocelyn Rylee to unpack how CrossFit shaped his approach to medicine. They dig into lifestyle versus pharmaceuticals, the role of identity in lasting change, and why doctors need to prioritize their own health.

Topics Covered

Resources Mentioned

Community Highlight

The Phoenix is built on one idea: recovery is stronger in community.

Since 2006, they’ve reached nearly a million people impacted by substance use and mental health challenges — and CrossFit has become their most popular program. More than 100,000 people have found sobriety and support through Phoenix CrossFit classes, with 83% staying sober beyond the three-month mark.

We spoke with Gavin Young, a Phoenix leader and longtime CrossFit athlete in recovery, who shared how daily progress in training — one more rep, one more pound, one more second — becomes a cornerstone in rebuilding lives.

From Boston to Denver to Philadelphia, The Phoenix is proving what’s possible when fitness meets recovery: a resilient community built on hope, accountability, and shared struggle — one workout at a time.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]]

This marks the seventh episode of a special CrossFit Podcast collaboration with the CrossFit Medical Society. 

Olympian and Power Monkey Fitness co-founder Dave Durante joins the CrossFit Podcast to talk about the transition from elite competition to lifelong fitness. After representing the U.S. in gymnastics at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Dave discovered CrossFit, and it changed his life.

He shares how CrossFit helped him stay healthy and strong beyond his competitive years, the story behind Power Monkey Camp, and why gymnastics remains one of the best foundations for athleticism at any age.

TOPICS INCLUDED

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Community Highlight

After two decades studying cancer genetics, Dr. Jennifer Beebe-Dimmer wanted to give patients something they could act on today. That’s how the CAPABLE program was born, a free, 12-week, CrossFit-based intervention for cancer survivors.

Coached by Level 1 trainers, participants train three times a week and complete pre- and post-testing for strength, conditioning, and biomarkers. Since 2019, more than 275 people have gone through the program, most of whom had never done anything like it before.

The results speak for themselves: significant improvements in quality of life, body composition, sleep, and A1C, with cognitive function up next.

Beebe-Dimmer calls CrossFit the “secret sauce,” not just for the workouts, but for the coaching and community that keep people coming back.“

When I look back at my career, this will be the most meaningful thing I’ve done.”

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]] or complete our survey here.

Join us LIVE every Thursday at 10 a.m. If you love this podcast, please drop us a rating and review, and share it with everyone you love.

You’ve probably heard of the workout CHAD1000X (1,000 weighted step-ups for time) and The Step Up Foundation – the organization using fitness to raise awareness for mental health and veteran suicide prevention. 

In this episode, we get to know the selfless leader behind both: Sara Wilkinson. After losing her husband, Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson, to suicide in 2018, Sara turned grief into purpose, creating a global movement that’s brought thousands together each year to honor his legacy and support others who are struggling.

She opens up about what it means to carry grief, how community heals, and the importance of looking people in the eye and asking, “How are you, really?”

Topics Included

Resources Mentioned

Community Highlight

Cory and Sara Fulana don’t just run two gyms — they run on purpose.

At Silk City CrossFit and CrossFit Hartford, service is part of the workout. Every month, they rally their community for something bigger — suicide awareness events with Uplift, women’s WODs supporting local female-owned businesses, Toys for Tots drives, marathon rows for the Boys and Girls Club, and Hero WODs that honor those who have served.

Their question is always the same: How can we give back?

Because for Cory and Sara, CrossFit isn’t just about fitness — it’s about using strength to serve others.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [[email protected]] or complete our survey here.

CrossFit CEO Don Faul and Affiliate Council Chair Zia Rohrbaugh join host James Hobart for a pulse check on what’s happening across the company and the community. They discuss the role of CrossFit HQ and CrossFit affiliates, the importance of the CrossFit brand for affiliates, and how to support international communities.

Stay till the end to hear from special guests Troy Peterson of ValorFit and Mike Egan, as they preview their plans for Veterans Day. 

Support Mike in his effort to break a world record and raise money for ValorFit HERE.

Let us know what you think –> [email protected]

Follow us on YouTube to join us every Thursday at 10 am PT.

“Forging Elite Fitness®” has been part of the CrossFit brand since 2003. And now, it’s representing CrossFit front and center once again after a few years of lurking behind the scenes. But what does it really mean? And what doesn’t it mean? And why are we bringing it back? 

In this show, Denise Thomas is joined by Nicole Carroll, Craig Howard, and Jocelyn Rylee to unpack the phrase that debuted its revival tour this week in our new “Forging Elite Fitness” video and accompanying article. They’ll talk about where the misunderstanding often lies: Is it only about Games athletes? Is “elite” too aggressive? Or does it perfectly capture what CrossFit does for anyone who walks through the door, from grandparents to Games competitors?

Let us know what you think –> [email protected]

Follow us on YouTube to join us every Thursday at 10 am PT.