By Urban Gym
The podcast currently has 18 episodes available.
We've long said it as part of the podcast series - everyone has a story.
This edition is our story.
It's a journey that's taken four years, countless doctors, specialists, consultants, neurologists, chiropractors, pharmacists, friends, family and more to get from the summer of 2017 to 2021 where we started with a possible case of vertigo for Andy that transpired to be Chronic Lyme Disease and in the process transformed our daily lives.
As a preface to this month's podcast, we know there are people out there that are dealing with far worse conditions and experiences.
We're also aware that there are people out there going through exactly what we've experienced - the highs and lows, more bad days than good, the hope and frustration, the lack of answers and clarity, the self-doubt, crippling fatigue, brain fog and the everything else that a disease with such a crazy range of symptoms can bring about.
For Andy, it spelt forced retirement from a professional MMA career, for us as a family it's meant dealing and adjusting with all of the above while we continue to nurture and grow our own family, the business and super community that has become Urban Gym, changes in diet, creating new habits and learning to put health and well-being to the fore.
Some people have been privy to the roller coaster of the last four years and others - including some of our closest friends and colleagues - have had no idea. If in telling our story in more detail we can help others in a similar situation, we'll be delighted.
And we're delighted to be able to help, answer any questions, trade voice notes, share names and resources, just ask. Our inbox is always open, reach out on Facebook, YouTube, email [email protected] and when things open up again, swing by our 'Happy Place' - Urban Gym HQ - even if it's for a coffee and a chat.
Because sometimes in life, just being able to get out for a coffee and chat can be the hardest thing in the world.
#urbangym #lymedisease #urpodcast
Hailing from Cork, Richard Shanahan is a Dublin/Meath based sport psychology practitioner.
By the age of 21, 'Rich' was a 2nd dan tae kwon-do black belt, eventually running his own club in Cork (now run by his cousin). He's had a nine-year stint in army life, has completed over 800 jumps as a skydiver but more importantly - as it relates to this edition of UR Podcast - he's an extremely qualified sports psychologist who has worked across Gaelic games, tennis, show jumping, athletics, golf, swimming, boxing, soccer and martial arts.
That's where he met Andy, or more like Andy met Rich, while his professional MMA career was taking off, with Rich on board with Team Ryano for their professional athletes to avail of Rich's skillset.
In sport and in life, you may be the keyholder, but Richard Shanahan is the man who helps you unlock the door to your potential.
Over the course of 90 minutes, we dive into Rich's background and what brought him to the world of sport psychology, before going down the yellow brick road of Rich and Andy's working relationship, going back to a visual construction of Andy's first pro-MMA win under the BAMMA banner.
From cornering pro-boxing fights in Juarez, Mexico, to pressing his nose up against the cage with future UFC Hall of Famers, to helping athletes at all levels see past themselves, Rich's approach to sport, his grá to assist people his own personal journey - unfolding as we record - are all part of the conversation.
If you have ever experienced any level of self-doubt, if you question what you're doing with your sport or training, or if you're wondering how you can go to the next level, carve out that mental edge and unlock your own potential, then this is the listen for you.
You can find out more about Richard Shanahan by visiting inspiresportperformance.ie, or you can take 90 minutes from your week and listen on as stories are swapped, lessons are learned and tales recapped in this edition of UR Podcast.
"I'm gonna be the baddest dude on the planet".
An interesting choice of words for our February guest whose infectious smile may have you believe otherwise.
But for Urijah Faber, it's a belief he held from a very early age and sustained throughout near 20-year MMA career - that's still active.
The UFC Hall of Famer joins UR Podcast to talk candidly about his early fight days, becoming the best version of himself training, testing and adapting along the way.
We talk lows, highs, challenges, adversity, excuses, mindset, fatherhood and more in a wide-ranging conversation with an athlete whose name will forever be linked to the sport of mixed martial arts.
Outside of the cage, Faber has opened the doors of his Team Alpha Male facility in Sacramento to athletes from all over the world, rapidly becoming a hotbed for champions and competitors of the highest level.
But what does it take to get there, and stay there?
In just under an hour you'll hear a lot about his journey, his story, and in 2021 with his 42nd birthday approaching and a hunger that still burns brightly, what may come next.
If you've ever had cause to question what you're doing in work or sport, you may we'll find some inspiration right here.
This episode contains mild swearing.
UR special guest for the podcast this month is chef, author and broadcaster Edward Hayden.
Some will know Edward from his books, from his TV appearances weekly with Virgin Media (and TV3 before that), from his radio show or you may have passed through his Culinary Arts course in WIT.
"Yet to hit the big time" as he says himself, Edward started life after school on one path and very quickly discovered another. From his first cookery demos to studying for a masters, nearly burning a TV studio to the ground to captivating audiences and touring the country with theatre productions, and opening a cookery school, there is little in life that the thirty-something Kilkenny native doesn't do or hasn't done.
Over the course of an hour-ish we delve into the ins, outs, ups and downs of a journey that has brought so many opportunities borne out of hard work, sheer grit and determination.
Plus, you can't have a chef on board and not look to pick up a few tips for the kitchen at home.
This is Edward Hayden's story, what's URs?
Everybody's got a story and Maverick Sabre has a great one to tell.
We know that over the course of 45 minutes or so, we're only getting the tip of the iceberg. Born Michael Stafford, Maverick Sabre moved to and was raised in New Ross, Wexford from an early age.
By 15 he was hanging with some of the biggest names in the rap game, on stage too, before turning up for class the following morning. With school life finished, he wasted no time in returning to the UK to begin his music career.
You'll learn about the rise, the process, the journey across three groundbreaking albums to date, from the delight at racking up 200 plays on MySpace to doing over 100m plays a year on Spotify alone. There were record labels, good money days, bad money days, international tours and more but what we take from it is Maverick Sabre is a man on a mission, in creative control, and absolutely following his passion in life.
His story's not over either. There's new music on the way. New tours on the way. This, is merely a chapter.
But it's a damn good chapter.
UR guest for this month's podcast, Maverick Sabre. Listen to and buy his music at mavericksabre.com.
Our guest for this month's podcast began their professional playing career in the early noughties by signing a youth contract with Luton Town.
While his time at The Hatters was tough to digest, it taught him lessons that were carried back to Waterford United and would set him a course that would cross the Premier League, Championship, League One, Champions League and embark on a senior international career with the Republic of Ireland.
With close to 500 league appearances and another 33 caps for his country, Daryl Murphy joins us from his home to talk about his return to League of Ireland football during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We walk through the early days of his football career, working under different managers, mindset, keeping injury at bay and banging in the goals.
From the first time he wore the Irish jersey at Giants Stadium, to his retirement in the wake of Ireland's defeat to Denmark, Murphy has earned his place among football's elite and continues to be held in high regard with Sunderland, Newcastle and Ipswich fans in particular.
While 2020 may be the end of his professional football career, we also look at what comes next, family support and much more besides.
This is Daryl Murphy's story, what's URs?
Nathalie Lennon is a health coach on a mission to deliver long term, rewarding, life-changing solutions for her clients or ‘coachees’.
It’s all about empowerment, you see.
Under her NLF brand - that’s Nathalie Lennon Fitness - Nathalie empowers her clients with education, tools, support and a positive environment to thrive, grow and succeed. Or, in her words, to ‘essentially rise to a place which is diet culture bullet proof.’
We’ll talk about that, diet culture. The ins and outs of the fitness industry, the quick fixes and misguided advice. We’ll talk about influencers, working with brands and why Nathalie wants to be seen as more than ‘just an influencer’.
Is body confidence possible? Is the balance between diet and fitness just a myth? What would you do if your coach sent you elsewhere for help?
There’s plenty of questions, plenty of chat and a 70-minute look inside the world of Nathalie Lennon for our latest podcast.
Check out her brand new online programme at nlf.ie but before all that, sit back, or get out and get active with UR Podcast in your ears for episode #011.
Nicky Whelan has overcome adversity and life threatening injury, driven by obsession from a young age, to compete in and win strongman events.
He's also the guest for this edition of UR Podcast as we reach double figures with another super story.
Having discovered gym life in his late teens, Nicky Whelan stumbled into the world of strongman competition by watching Trish Porter lift a car in New Ross in 2001 and thought to himself "I could do that". Of course, you don't prepare to lift a car by going out and lifting cars, and it's that preparation, mindset and resilience that we touch on over the course of an hour in this episode.
A Wexford native, Nicky's been training 'properly' since he was 18 or 19. He was nearly killed in an accident at the age of 21. He came second in his first competition in 2010, and quickly went on to Ireland's strongest man, before finding himself as a reserve for the UK's strongest man.
In an open and honest chat, we talk about Nicky's early training regime, coping with injury and the toll strongman training takes on the body. Mental health and school age bullying come into play and we look at how strongman events are broken down, how you train and prepare and what the strongman diet looks like - then and now.
And of course, you couldn't leave a strongman conversation without getting Nicky's thoughts on what's going to happen between rival competitors Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson (Thor, aka The Mountain from Game Of Thrones) when they face each other in the boxing ring.
As we're finding out the more we talk to people about their stories, this one could have gone on for the night, but you've got 76 minutes to enjoy.
To all who've been listening since the first episode, we hope you've enjoyed the ride thus far. If it's your first listen, you've got nine other cracking conversations to catch up on covering rugby, business, Olympic swimming, MMA, gut health, sleep hygiene and so much more.
This is UR Podcast, so what's UR story?
Sleep expert Tom Coleman is the special guest for UR Podcast #009, ironically recorded on one of the hottest and sunniest days of the year.
Founder of My Nutrition Ireland, Tom's background is in health science, with a specialisation in health, sleep and nutrition. From the word go, Tom brings the science to sleep. He's had the opportunity to work with some exceptional technology deployed by the likes of the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and Chicago Cubs (MLB). What would you do if you knew there were ways to predict and improving your reaction times, but also your fatigue?
Tom's also been working over the past few years with leading international figures in the world of sport along with former two-weight UFC world champion, Conor McGregor. We get a little insight into the background to McGregor's preparation for the Floyd Mayweather fight, trickling all the way down to tips and tricks for athletes young and old managing training, nutrition and sleep.
We're all about work hard, train hard, play hard - but does anyone ever tell you sleep harder?
The timing of this chat is super. With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of us have experienced big changes in our lives, schedules and routines - especially sleep.
Over the course of 90 minutes, we talk about all things sleep for athletes, non-athletes, parents, teenagers and more. We go through the different sleep cycles we experience as soon as we drift off, what happens your mind, your body, your brain and the physical and mental benefits.
If you've been wondering how you can improve your own sleeping arrangements, Tom's notes on sleep hygiene will come in real handy.
Grab your pen and paper, take your notes, then get yourself a good night's sleep!
Follow Tom on Instagram, @tomcoleman.ie, or find him online at TomColeman.ie and check My Nutrition Ireland on Facebook.
How important is your gut health?
As it turns out - very. To get to the heart of the matter, we've got a super podcast for you this time out as we're joined by Dr. Alan Desmond aka 'The Devon Gut Doctor'.
Alan is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to all things whole food plant-based. Now more than ever we're seeing the benefits of using cleaner, more natural fuel for our bodies.
As a consultant gastroenterologist, Alan is the one people turn to when it comes to matters inside the body. Every day he's treating problems and issues with people's digestive systems and in recent years he's been backing up the approach to a whole foods plant-based diet with the science.
There are plenty of people who believe there is a pill for every ill, but what if we started at home with a solution made in the kitchen?
What if a different approach to food could help with IBD, IBS, Crohn's Disease and other digestive issues?
Over the course of 80 minutes we talk about so many things tied back to food and our relationship with food, we break down what exactly a whole food plant-based approach to nutrition is, Alan traverses the globe with plenty of examples, case studies and first hand experience with patients and more besides.
You'll also hear Andy talk about his transition to a plant-based diet and how that's worked huge benefits for both body and mind, while Ken looks like he'll be put to the test over the coming weeks.
If you have even a passing interest in food, medicine, self-care or you're just curious about how your digestive system works and what changes you could make at home to produce life-changing results, then listen on.
This is UR Podcast, episode 8, with our special guest Dr. Alan Desmond. When you're done, be sure to check out devongutclinic.com and follow Alan on Instagram to see his recipes, learnings, live videos and great supporting material.
The podcast currently has 18 episodes available.