Underdog Podcast

In this episode, we interview exceptional crossfit athlete, Bethany Shadburne, who brings an outgoing attitude and inspiring work ethic that every athlete strives for.

We talk about her wild journey as an athlete, from a gymnast as a young kid, to a runner, bodybuilder, and finally, a crossfit athlete.

After a serious back injury during her gymnastics days, the doctors told her she'd never be able to run again, and she was out to prove them wrong. Although that injury has dragged on through her athletic career, she's been able to work around it by learning her body and mind.

She's also learned that leaving the workout at the gym has been beneficial in her growth as an individual. Her self-development outside the gym, such as reading and journaling, has allowed for her to keep her happiness through highs and lows.

Bethany's story is a perfect example of chasing your passion. Her #8 finish at the Crossfit Games speaks for itself. 

Listen to episode 16 on all platforms to hear Bethany's amazing story that is far from over!

You can also watch the video version of the podcast on our YouTube.

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In this episode, we interview bodybuilder, Austyn Richardson.

At the ripe age of 24, Austyn still has a great deal of wisdom to share. He's changed the direction of his life multiple times, finally finding the direction suitable for himself. After quitting football senior year and delving into the party scene at Texas Tech, stopping training altogether and winding up getting arrested for public intoxication three times, he turned to bodybuilding to give himself purpose. 

After watching his sister, an IFBB pro, up on stage for a show, he realized the direction he wanted to take his training, and it was to be up on that stage. The following year, he found himself competing in his first show, and in just a few years, he went from an undersized 195lb senior football player to a 285lb heavyweight bodybuilder.

We discuss his life before bodybuilding, where he is now, and where he wants to be. School was always on the back-burner, but now as a wiser man, he plans to return to engineering school to further develop himself as an individual.

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In this episode of Behind the Underdogs, we take a break from athlete talk and discuss the underdog story of the superstar sub-reddit, Wall Street Bets.

Although it isn't sports, athletes can resonate with a story like this. This Reddit forum, hungry to take on the big guys on Wall Street, banded together to sky rocket Gamestop to $483 per share, up from Gamestop's one year low of $2.57. If this story teaches you anything, it should teach you that nothing can be done alone. It doesn't matter how big or how small your dreams are, you will need teamwork to help you accomplish them.

In this case, almost 9 million members of Wall Street Bets contributed to the temporary downfall of some hedge funds. The main goal? To take a stand as the "little guys."

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This episode we discuss the underdog story of Dustin Poirier.

Born and raised In Lafayette, Louisiana, Poirier was never expected to do much, considering his inappropriate behavior all throughout his childhood.  His parents even sent him to military style bootcamps and eventually, juvenile prison, to correct his behavior. He dropped out of high school in 9th grade, after years of expressing his hatred towards school.

Nothing changed him until he picked up the gloves when he was 18. It continued with him fighting In bull rings that were catered by Inmates. Fast forward a decade and a half and he's standing atop the best In the fight world. 

To show his appreciation for where he came from,  he's donated a lot of money, one, he covered his middle school teacher's classroom supplies for the year. He has also started a foundation of his own, the Good Fight Foundation. He currently resides in his hometown, Lafayette, and is married to his former high school girlfriend.

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In this episode of Behind the Underdogs, we discuss an underdog story, breaking down what we think made/makes this person so special.

This particular story, Tom Brady, is one that we all have some sort of familiarity with. He's a living legend. Period. But some character traits really define him and make him the athlete that he is today.

One, is his elite resiliency. Despite all of the times throughout his playing career where the odds were stacked against him, he always seems to find his way above water, whether that's moving on from an 0-8 high school football team or coming back from a 28-3 deficit on the greatest stage.

Another, is his ability to find what works for HIM. Too many people try to copy others to reach greatness, but in reality, everyone has their own things that work for them. For example, some people like to get dialed in before a game and others prefer to be as loose as possible. In Brady's case, he adapted over the course of his career to compliment his playing style.

Two things that distinctively stand out: His attentiveness to the mental side of the game, and his unique physical training approach, using mostly bands.

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We cover all of this and more in episode 12. Make sure to leave a review if you enjoyed the episode!

If you prefer to watch the video instead,  like and subscribe to our podcast on YouTube!

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On this episode, Joey Stanizzi, Colin Cunningham, and Dylan Schuett interview Mario Beltran, head strength coach and aspiring national champion in Olympic weightlifting. He left a stable job to pursue his passions in the fitness industry and he hasn't looked back since.

Beltran, from Tyler, Texas, has been competing in Olympic lifting since 2018. He was met with the decision not too long before to either stick to his steady job or pursue a career in fitness. If most people were in his position, they would've stuck like a leech to the steady job, especially considering he's entering one of the most saturated industries in the world, and he doesn't have a college degree to fall back on.

He explains in the interview how he'd much rather fail at something he's passionate about and that when it comes between money and passion, you have to choose passion every time. Like the most successful people in the world say, if you love it enough, and you give it enough of your energy, you can make a living off of it. If you think about it, it's true. Once upon a time, Harvey Ball drew a smiley face outlined with a circle and filled it with yellow. Today, SmileyWorld owns the design and makes over $250 million a year.

It's amazing what passion can do.

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What an insightful interview and the perfect example of pursuing what you love most. You can follow him on Instagram @mariobfit

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On this episode, Joey Stanizzi, Colin Cunningham, and Dylan Schuett Interview Austin Burge, an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder who has an unmatched drive and dedication to the sport of bodybuilding.

Before the Interview, the guys catch up, discussing the chance that Colin's  college football season might happen this spring, Dylan's commitment to Long Island University after constant adversity throughout the college recruiting process, and finally a preview to our guest.

Austin was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas where he eventually fell in love with bodybuilding. He played basketball throughout his high school career, but soon realized that he loved the training in the gym more than he loved basketball, which made him consider training to become a bodybuilder. Before he knew it, he was standing on stage to compete for his IFBB pro card. He missed it by one place and we talk on the episode about how he learned from that experience and used it to secure his pro card the following year. We talk about the disciplines it takes to become successful in life, and where better to learn that than in the sport that requires the most discipline in the world.

What a great interview with wise words and advice about being passionate and disciplined. Follow him on his widely followed Instagram and YouTube @beezyphysique

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On this episode, Joey Stanizzi and Dylan Schuett interview Adam Krueger, a driven and passionate individual, with multiple businesses and huge goals; however, it wasn't always that way.

Krueger grew up with two deficiencies. One was a growth hormone deficiency where his body couldn't produce enough growth hormone to naturally grow, and if having that wasn't enough, he was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Neutropenia. Only 0.000006 people have it and Krueger was forced into this battle through his early years. Neutropenia is an abnormally low number of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in the blood. Neutropenia, if severe, significantly increases the risk of life-threatening infection.

After years of fighting deficiencies and bullying, he hit a point of time in his life where he experienced depression. He needed to find a purpose. That was when he turned to fitness after his crazy opportunity to spend time with Greg O'Gallagher, which we talk about during the interview.

He now has multiple businesses geared towards improving your life. You can follow his accounts: @adamkrueger_ and @xtensivepotential

Visit our website for merch and give us a follow on Instagram and Facebook @underdog_brand and follow our podcast Instagram @behindtheunderdogs. Our podcast is also on YouTube - The Underdog Brand.

Thanks for letting us share inspiring stories with you! Make sure to leave us a review and rating, it is very much appreciated!

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On this episode of Behind the Underdogs, the guys talk the potential repercussions of a failed large contract in pro sports, how that translates across each sport, our take on various contract deals, the short term and long term effect of taking a pay cut, the mental side of playing with no fans, and much more.

Although we didn't have on a special guest, it was a great opinionated chat amongst three athletes who share their take on several different aspects of pro sports.

Visit our website for merch and give us a follow on Instagram and Facebook @underdog_brand and follow our podcast Instagram @behindtheunderdogs. Our podcast is also on YouTube - The Underdog Brand.

Thanks for letting us share inspiring stories with you! Make sure to leave us a review and rating, it is very much appreciated!

Listen here on Apple Podcasts

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On this episode, Joey Stanizzi and Dylan Schuett discuss the topic of the day - What we do to disconnect from the grind to recover and stay hungry.

Today's guest, Scott Lutrus, made it to the top in football, playing in the NFL for a few years before taking on a new challenge and entering the most competitive market, the fitness industry. 

Lutrus grew up and attended high school in Brookfield, Connecticut. He was named to the all-state team by the New Haven Register during his senior year, and was named the 2006 Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year after rushing for 2,017 yards and 34 touchdowns, as well as 63 tackles and four interceptions (two returned for touchdowns). He was ranked as a two-star recruit. 

Lutrus played college football at the University of Connecticut. He was the first player since 1999 to be named the Big East Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks, and after the season he was named to the Freshman All-America team. In 2008, he led the team in tackles at the same position and was named to the All-Big East second team. In 2009 and 2010, a recurring neck injury kept him sidelined for eight games, a topic we discuss thoroughly to hear how he coped and responded.

Lutrus was projected to go as high as the fifth round in the 2011 NFL Draft but ended up being undrafted, and he was considered one of the top undrafted players available. After the 2011 NFL lockout ended, Lutrus was quickly signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a middle linebacker. 

After his stint In the NFL, he immediately found his passion in the fitness industry, vowing to create the healthiest, most effective supplements on the market with Blue Ribbon Nutrition. You can follow Scott on Instagram @scottlutrus and his company, Blue Ribbon Nutrition @blueribbonnutrition

Visit our website for merch and give us a follow on Instagram and Facebook @underdog_brand and follow our podcast Instagram @behindtheunderdogs.

Thanks for letting us share inspiring stories with you! Make sure to leave us a review and rating, it is very much appreciated!

Support the show