The Daryl Perry Podcast

Can health and fitness improve your life without becoming your entire identity?

In this episode of the Almost Daily Podcast, I explore the idea that while health and fitness are incredibly important, they are only one part of building a fulfilling life.

Inspired by my friend Chad Williams and the work he's doing to create more inclusive communities through fitness, I discuss why some of the most meaningful things we can do involve supporting others, creating connections, and using our experiences to contribute to something larger than ourselves.

We talk about the role fitness plays in personal growth, why recovery and longevity matter, and how health and fitness can serve as a catalyst for building relationships, discovering new interests, and creating positive change in the lives of others.

I also share my thoughts on why it's important to avoid making fitness your entire identity and how focusing on community, encouragement, and connection can lead to a richer and more meaningful life.

Topics Covered:

• Making fitness bigger than yourself

• Building community through health and fitness

• Why connection matters

• Supporting and encouraging others

• The importance of recovery and longevity

• Finding common ground with people

• Health and fitness as a catalyst for growth

• Avoiding an all-consuming fitness identity

• Creating a fulfilling life beyond exercise

• The future direction of Your Level Fitness

Email Daryl:

[email protected]

Health and fitness can help you build a better life, but the goal isn't simply to become healthier. The goal is to create a life that feels meaningful, connected, and worth living while bringing others along with you.

What do you want your new normal to be?

If you're currently taking a GLP-1 medication, you've probably heard people talk about reduced appetite, fewer thoughts about food, lower energy levels, nausea, and significant weight loss. For many people who have struggled with weight management for years, those changes can feel like a welcome relief.

In this episode of Life During and After GLP-1, I explore an important question that often gets overlooked: what do you ultimately want your day-to-day life to look like?

We discuss the trade-offs that can come with GLP-1 medications, the importance of thinking beyond short-term weight loss, and why it's worth considering how your energy, strength, activity levels, and overall quality of life fit into the bigger picture.

This isn't about telling you whether GLP-1 medications are right or wrong. Those conversations belong between you and your healthcare provider. Instead, this episode is about helping you think critically about the lifestyle you're building and whether it aligns with the life you want to live long-term.

Topics Covered:

• Defining your new normal

• Life during and after GLP-1 medications

• Appetite changes and food noise

• Energy levels and daily activity

• Strength, muscle mass, and performance

• Long-term lifestyle considerations

• Weight loss versus quality of life

• Marketing messages around GLP-1 medications

• Building a sustainable active lifestyle

• Appreciating yourself at every stage of the journey

Links Mentioned:

Your Level Fitness:

https://yourlevelfitness.com

Journal Prompts:

https://yourlevelfitness.com/email

Email Daryl:

[email protected]

Thank you for listening to Life During and After GLP-1.

My goal isn't to tell you what your journey should look like. My goal is to encourage you to think about the lifestyle you're building, the trade-offs you're making, and the version of normal you ultimately want for yourself. The more intentional you are about those decisions, the more likely you are to create a lifestyle you'll actually want to maintain for the long term.

What does it mean to adapt, advocate, and build a life on your own terms while living with cerebral palsy?

In this episode of The Cerebral Palsy Perspective Podcast, Chad Williams and Daryl Perry sit down with Gillian Jasper, a writer, advocate, public speaker, and storyteller who shares her experiences navigating life with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and other challenges.

Gillian discusses growing up with disabilities, learning to accept and adapt to the realities of cerebral palsy, the impact of seizures and mobility challenges, and how writing became an important outlet for sharing her story with the world. She also shares her passion for disability advocacy, creating awareness, and helping others better understand what it means to live with a disability.

Throughout the conversation, Gillian opens up about overcoming self-doubt, finding confidence in her own voice, and why she refuses to let a diagnosis define who she is or what she can accomplish.

Topics Covered:

• Growing up with cerebral palsy and epilepsy

• Being born premature and overcoming long odds

• Physical therapy and adapting to daily challenges

• Disability advocacy and awareness

• Writing as a form of self-expression

• Living with seizures and mobility limitations

• Social media and finding community

• Public speaking and storytelling

• The importance of self-acceptance

• Why disability does not define a person

Guest Links:

Gillian Jasper Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/gillianjasper_

Cerebral Palsy Through My Lens:

https://www.jewishnewhaven.org/press-releases/cerebral-palsy-through-my-lens-the-hand-i-have-been-dealt

Host Links:

Chad Williams:

https://www.instagram.com/chadwillia1

Daryl Perry:

https://www.instagram.com/daryltperry

Thank you for listening to The Cerebral Palsy Perspective Podcast. If this conversation resonated with you, please share it with someone who could benefit from hearing Gillian's story and perspective.

As we start a new week, I've been reflecting on how much my approach to health, fitness, and life has changed over the years.

For a long time, I tried to force my way through everything. Whether it was training, work, or simply navigating life with cerebral palsy, I believed that pushing harder was always the answer. What I've learned recently is that recovery, rest, sleep, and hydration may be just as important as the effort itself.

In this episode of the Almost Daily Podcast, I talk about the importance of recovery, why I'm finally prioritizing rest without guilt, and how that shift is helping me move through life from a calmer headspace and at a more deliberate pace.

I also share why I'm excited about the future of Your Level Fitness, the importance of building inclusive communities, and why supporting and encouraging one another is one of the most powerful things we can do.

We also discuss Chad Williams' Doing Hard Things My Way Virtual 5K, why I created the YLF Community Team, and how events like this can help bring people together while promoting inclusion and awareness around cerebral palsy.

Topics Covered:

• Recovery and rest

• The importance of sleep and hydration

• Living with cerebral palsy

• Moving at a deliberate pace

• Building an inclusive fitness community

• The future of Your Level Fitness

• Why connection matters

• Supporting and encouraging others

• The Doing Hard Things My Way Virtual 5K

• Building something bigger than yourself

Links Mentioned:

Join the YLF Community Race Team:

https://runsignup.com/Race/Register/RaceGroup-1?raceId=187209

Journal Prompts:

https://yourlevelfitness.com/email

Email Daryl:

[email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Almost Daily Podcast.

What if the person you're trying to leave behind is the very person who needs your compassion the most?

In this episode of the Almost Daily Podcast, I talk about self-acceptance, body image, self-worth, and why so many people spend years trying to distance themselves from past versions of themselves.

We often believe that changing our appearance, losing weight, reaching a goal, or becoming "better" will finally allow us to leave the past behind. But what if that isn't how healing works?

I share my thoughts on why appreciating and loving yourself at every stage of life matters, how unresolved pain can continue showing up even after external changes occur, and why many of the struggles people describe as body image issues may actually run much deeper.

We also discuss the importance of self-compassion, personal growth, therapy, and creating a healthier relationship with yourself so that you can offer the same grace and support to others.

Topics Covered:

• Self-acceptance and self-appreciation

• Body image and self-worth

• Why losing weight doesn't automatically create happiness

• Letting go of labels from the past

• Learning from mistakes without defining yourself by them

• Therapy and emotional healing

• The connection between self-love and personal growth

• Why every version of you deserves compassion

• Building a healthier relationship with yourself

• Extending that same compassion to others

Links Mentioned:

Journal Prompts:

https://yourlevelfitness.com/email

Email Daryl:

[email protected]

Thank you for listening to the Almost Daily Podcast.

I believe you're going to figure it out. I believe you're capable of growth, healing, and change. Most importantly, I hope you learn to appreciate and love yourself through every stage of the journey.

What happens when life knocks you down repeatedly and you have to decide whether you're going to stay there or rebuild?

In this episode of The Daryl Perry Podcast, I sit down with Scott French for a conversation about resilience, discipline, recovery, and the lessons that come from rebuilding yourself after years of setbacks.

Scott shares his journey through chronic pain, injuries, depression, alcohol abuse, and personal loss. We discuss the mindset shifts that helped him regain control of his life, why discipline is often misunderstood, and how helping other people became an important part of his own recovery.

We also explore the realities of mental health, personal responsibility, community, and what it means to keep moving forward even when life feels uncertain.

This conversation goes far beyond fitness. It's about learning how to navigate difficult seasons, finding purpose through service to others, and trusting that it's never too late to start over.

Topics Covered:

• Resilience and personal reinvention

• Chronic pain and recovery

• Alcohol abuse and sobriety

• Depression and anxiety

• The true meaning of discipline

• Building habits that support long-term change

• Community and connection

• Helping others as part of the healing process

• Life after major setbacks

• Learning to start over

Mental Health Support Resources:

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or are concerned about your safety, please seek immediate professional support.

United States & Canada:

Call or text 988

United Kingdom & Ireland:

Samaritans: 116 123

Australia:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Outside the United States:

Contact your local emergency services, crisis hotline, mental health provider, or nearest emergency department.

Guest Links:

Scott French Facebook Profile:

https://www.facebook.com/scott.french.792

Tiger Battalion Fitness Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/298716897756947

Thank you for listening to The Daryl Perry Podcast.

If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who may need the reminder that setbacks do not define your future. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is take the next step and keep moving forward.

Life moves fast.

One day turns into a week. A week turns into a month. A month turns into a year. Before we know it, opportunities to say what we wanted to say, express how we feel, or reconnect with someone we care about can slip away.

In this episode of the Almost Daily Podcast, I talk about the importance of letting people know how you feel about them while you still have the chance. I also discuss the other side of that conversation, learning how to let go of grudges that continue to weigh you down.

That doesn't mean inviting everyone back into your life. Some people have shown us exactly why they shouldn't have a place in our lives moving forward. But holding onto resentment, replaying old situations, and carrying emotional weight year after year often hurts us more than anyone else.

I also share an update on the future of the Daryl Perry Podcast feed, why you'll be seeing more episodes appear here, and how I plan to use this feed as a home for conversations, interviews, audio journals, and the projects I'm creating moving forward.

In this episode:

• Why it's important to tell people how you feel

• The difference between letting go and letting someone back in

• How grudges can quietly drain your energy

• Why life is too short to assume people already know how much they matter

• The evolving vision for the Daryl Perry Podcast

If there's someone you appreciate, care about, or haven't spoken to in a while, consider reaching out. Sometimes the conversations we put off are the ones that matter most.

Your Level Fitness Links:

New to YLF?

https://yourlevelfitness.com

Build Your Forever Active Lifestyle:

https://yourlevelfitness.com/find-your-level

Weekday Journal Prompts:

https://yourlevelfitness.com/email

Email Me:

[email protected]

Most people think confidence is something they earn.

Take enough action, achieve enough goals, collect enough proof, and eventually you'll believe in yourself.

But what if confidence doesn't work that way?

In this episode of The Daryl Perry Podcast, I explore why confidence isn't something you build after you've figured everything out. It's a choice to trust yourself before you have all the answers. It's believing that no matter what happens, you'll find a way through it.

I talk about the difference between confidence and proof, why self-doubt doesn't disappear even for confident people, and how trusting yourself creates the foundation for taking action in the first place.

If you've been waiting to feel ready, waiting to feel qualified, or waiting for enough evidence that you belong, this episode is for you.

Confidence isn't about knowing exactly how things will work out.

It's about trusting yourself to figure it out along the way.

Links Mentioned:

Journal Prompts:

https://yourlevelfitness.com/email

YLF Community:

https://yourlevelfitness.com/community

Confidence Collection:

https://yourlevelfitness.shop/collections/confidence

What happens when life takes you down a path you never expected?

In this powerful conversation, Chad Williams and Daryl Perry sit down with Simon Dyson, father, caregiver, endurance athlete, author, and founder of Billy’s Farm of Hopes and Dreams.

Simon shares the story of his son Billy, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy following complications at birth, and how decades of caregiving challenges, family struggles, endurance racing, alcoholism, recovery, faith, and self-discovery ultimately led him to a new purpose.

From Ironman races to one of the toughest endurance cycling events in the world, Simon spent years searching for answers, trying to outrun pain, and searching for meaning. What he discovered along the way transformed not only his own life, but the lives he hopes to impact through Billy’s Farm of Hopes and Dreams.

This is a conversation about resilience, caregiving, recovery, faith, hope, purpose, and what can happen when we decide to keep moving forward, even when life feels impossible.

Connect with Simon and Learn More About Billy’s Farm of Hopes and Dreams:

https://billysfarmsofhope.org/

Follow Chad Williams:

https://www.instagram.com/chadwillia1

Follow Daryl Perry:

https://www.instagram.com/daryltperry

Welcome to the very first episode of Why Did You Start Running?

Before hearing the stories of runners from all walks of life, I wanted to share my own. In this episode, I talk about how I started running in college despite not enjoying cardio, how walk/run intervals helped me get started, and how running became less about performance and more about community, connection, and staying active for life.

I also share my experience of running with cerebral palsy, leading Couch to 5K and 10K training groups, completing races, finishing last more than once, and why none of that ever mattered as much as the people I met along the way.

This podcast isn't about pace charts, shoe reviews, or chasing personal records. It's about stories. It's about the moments that convinced someone to take that first step, and the lessons they learned after they did.

Whether you've been running for years, you're thinking about starting, or you're simply looking for a supportive community, I hope these conversations encourage you to keep moving forward.

Links Mentioned:

Your Level Fitness Podcasts:

https://yourlevelfitness.com/podcasts

Email Daryl:

[email protected]

Website:

https://yourlevelfitness.com

Thank you for listening to the first episode of Why Did You Start Running. I'm excited to start sharing the stories behind the first step.