The hosts share some of the most common misconceptions they face in their respective professional fields, challenging the assumptions and presumptions they’ve had to deal with.

Call to Action: Before you vocalize an opinion, reflect on how much it is based on fact versus presumption, assumption, or myth.

Lee Stadshaug was vocal about how The Victory and The Struggle podcast has helped her move through some significant challenges, so we decided to invite her into the ‘studio’ to hear a little more about it. We were blown away by her transformation. She shared the story of how she when from a lifestyle completely lacking physical activity to a routine of weightlifting, body-weight exercises, running, and everything else involved in CrossFit. Most of her physical strength comes from consistently showing up at Kitsap CrossFit, but she didn’t start out hitting the gym, and she’s extended herself well beyond it. Her mental and emotional strength may be even more impressive. Her story is inspirational to anyone that’s ever doubted themselves, told themselves that they’re too old or too weak. She earns her fitness and she’s earning the confidence that comes along with it.

Call to Action: Give yourself grace. Allow yourself moments to acknowledge your struggles and move forward to the best of your ability.

We sat down with Ian Landstine and dug into his process for making the life-changing decision to quit his job, sell all his Earthly possessions (including his house), purchase a massive RV, and travel the country with his wife. Dan and Matt discover some of the biggest struggles – they’re probably not what you think – and some of the biggest opportunities Ian and Megan had to grow as individuals and as a couple. Ian lays out his reasoning and motivation for leaving a more traditional, comfortable lifestyle to pursue a challenge that pushed him well out of his comfort zone on a semi-regular basis. You can check out some of the couple’s perspective on their blog at https://memorymillionaires.com/

In this episode, we just scratched the surface of what life on the road was like, and we didn’t even touch on Ian and Megan’s transition out of the RV back to normal jobs and a stationary domicile. Part two of this conversation is definitely going to happen. Stay tuned.

Call to Action: Explore peace in every moment of your day.

Seeing Laura Finster crutch into the gym and and workout with a fully immobilized leg was an inspiration for Dan, Matt, and countless others. She shares her victories and struggles through the process of dealing with pain, physical limitations, and the emotional and mental challenges associate with a severe leg injury. Before her leg was back in action, she suffered a rib injury in a car accident…and all of her challenges were amplified.

Call to Action: Do something that scares you, and give yourself credit for the challenges you’re taking on.

Here’s Laura rocking a workout with a full leg brace.

The Victory an The Struggle host share their quick take on a program aimed at motivating people t lose weight. Healthy Wage is an online gambling site that allows individuals and teams to place wagers based on their weight loss goals. Dan and Matt discuss the potential dangers (and potential benefits) of the program. While Healthy Wage does provide some safeguards against unhealthy weight-loss, and they offer some guidance toward success, the focus on weight over health and the risk of significant financial loss, make it impossible to fully endorse the program.

Todd Widman joins the podcast to unpack some of his challenges and successes as a leader. He provides some great distinctions between various forms of leadership, noting that peer-to-peer leadership is very different than leading up or down an organizational hierarchy. Todd also shares his perspective on leading kids, adolescents, and adults – spoiler alert – each age requires a very different style and skill-set. He shares a couple of recommendation from his reading list – Legacy by James Kerr and Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.

Call to Action: When questioning what to do next, do the next good thing

Dan and Matt share some of there favorite resources for cultivating an environment designed for growth. They discuss podcasts, books, and even a few videos. There are innumerable sources of destructive/negative messages and sometimes we need to be a bit more intentional about where we focus our attention.

Call to Action: Share. Share. Share all the resources that you’ve found inspiring, thought provoking, life-changing, or otherwise contributed to your growth.

Track down some of the favorites from this episode with the links below.

BooksHow to Win Friends and Influence PeopleThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleOne Day ContractTalent CodeThe Happiness TrapThe Anatomy of PeaceThe Skeptic’s Guide to the UniverseMindset

PodcastsChasing ExcellenceBuilding a Story BrandPractical StoicSpartan UpArt of ManlinessSkeptics Guide to the UniverseDoug Loves Movies (just for fun)Making Sense with Sam Harris

Dan and Matt reflect on the inevitable failure of New Years Resolution (they have data to back up their claim) and the changes we can make to set better goals or reset the goals we’ve failed at. They discuss the effectiveness of SMART goals, the importance of flexibility, and the whole point of setting goals – to feel a sense of achievement and growth. If your goals are working for you, it’s time to rework your goals.

Call to action: Practice setting more effective goals, including asking for help with accountability.

Additional Resources: B.J. Fogg’s TED Talk on Tiny Habits

Learn more about Dan Hollingsworth at www.kitsapcrossfit.com

Learn more about Dr. Matt Poinsett at www.infinitenorth.com

Matt Swift, owner of CrossFit Brisbane, and 2015 CrossFit Games age-group Champion joins Dan and Matt to explore some of the interpersonal challenges of using “NO” effectively. Matt Swift shares his insights on the recent Row for Reveille event, talks about the commitment required to achieve success at world-class levels and offers his perspective on what it takes to be a healthy, well-adjusted person.

Call to Action: Recognize that your time is valuable – be prepared to say “no” when people ask for a commitment that may not be a priority for you. Give them time to convince you, but curb your initial agreeableness.

Dan and Matt sit down with co-owner of Rocket CrossFit and active advocate for equality and acceptance within the fitness world, Alyssa Royce. She put words to some big ideas that can be difficult to talk about and even harder to implement. She and her team at Rocket CrossFit work to create an emotionally safe atmosphere for ANYONE looking to get active and healthy. From banning weight-based goals and commentary about appearance to eliminating gender terms from their daily vocabulary (no men’s bars and women’s bars), they’re taking active steps to be inclusive and accepting.

Her call to action? She challenged us to stop commenting on appearance in any way with any one. She also asked us to practice self-acceptance (sometimes it’s easier said than done).

You can check out some of the work she’s currently doing with The Out Foundation, including the Out WOD events across the country.

For more of her perspective, check out some of her written work.