This week we had an incredible conversation with a special guest, Kristen Magone. Kristen is Joe's Sister-in-law and came on to discuss the topic of life changing events of which she had experienced plenty. The show starts off with a bang as Kristen gets right into her story and to say we were left with our jaws dropped is an understatement. Kristen recounts her time in an abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend in Arizona while simultaneously describing her non-existent relationship with her father at the time. While the former is a horrible trauma for sure, the latter was more shocking to hear since you would have never been able to tell based on how Kristen and her father interact with each other in the present day. Nonetheless, Kristen lays out in detail her abusive relationship, how it impacted her relationship with her father, and how she decided to rise up stronger from her experience. We then move on to her time as a Respiratory Therapist in a busy hospital in the beginning of Covid and Kristen's decision to leave her "dream job" because of her good conscience; ultimately, she was not on board with the decisions being made by the hospital. Finally, we speak of her pregnancy (Kristen was 33 weeks pregnant at the time of her recording), which was rigorous seeing as she was diagnosed with hyperemesis. Despite all of these challenges/traumas, Kristen decided to flourish and grow rather than falter, and in addition, she believes that everyone can do the same in their lives. We are very thankful that Kristen shared her experiences with us and hope you enjoy this show as much as we did!

This week we welcome back to the show Anthony Bongiovanni from episode 42. I strongly suggest listening to his story there if you have not already. In addition, we include our cameraman, and Anthony's childhood friend, Jonny Brown in the discussion. The theme of today's show was about making changes /sacrifices in your life for the better. Anthony shared his improvements to both his mental and physical health over the past few months. We speak about his social media hiatus and the mental clarity which it brought in that he realized that everything that is important is found in his everyday life. We also touch upon the importance of taking care of your physical health because as we see in society, people have let themselves go to unhealthy lifestyles and that it is imperative that this changes. Finally, we share some of the changes you, the audience, have made and its benefits. Please enjoy the show! Just a reminder, this is the first episode without Don as he's taking a few months to focus on himself and his business. We fully support him and wish him the best in his endeavors. If you are interested in Don's car detailing services, please check out breakfreedetailing.com.

This week we had the pleasure of having a deep, incredible conversation about mental health with Cheyanna Dinkle in which she had the courage to reveal some past traumas about her life and family. Born in Passaic, New Jersey and moving to Rockaway Borough at a young age, Cheyanna's life looked grand and normal from the outside. Driving a Mercedes to school and wearing fur coats, it would be easy to create a stereotype that Cheyanna had a luxurious and easy life. However, Cheyanna's homelife was anything but easy, rather it was plagued with constant mental, physical, and emotional abuse from her father, which expanded to all members of the family. This would have a lasting effect into her adult life, when Cheyanna would turn to alcohol to cope with her fears and anxieties, until one day, she said "enough is enough". Cheyanna decided to take immediate action in improving her life in May of 2020 via the following: stopping the consumption of alcohol, performing daily exercises, training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (at Pure MMA), and much more. In the present day, Cheyanna is living a wonderful life with her boyfriend of fifteen years and her dog. Cheyanna consciously seeks to help those in need and hopes that the topic of mental health becomes a more prevalent discussion. Cheyanna also hopes her story will inspire others to improve their lives with her most important advice being "the time is now". Please enjoy Cheyanna's story.

This week we had a rad conversation about the mindset of a high-level competitor with Steve Martell. Similar to other guests on the show, Steve has been involved in martial arts from a very young age, with Wrestling as his primary sport. Like every boy in the 80's and 90's, Steve dreamed of becoming a WWE wrestler, so his parents signed him up for wrestling, however upon arriving at his first practice, Steve was shocked to find out that there was no ring or flashy jumps from the turnbuckle. This did not matter, however, as Steve would fall in love with the sport and go on to achieve impressive accolades such as: 1) being a two-time All-American wrestler at Johnson & Wales University and 2) becoming state champion his Senior year of high school with a 33-0 record. Steve attributes his success to the desire to be the best and not accepting anything less. Steve took this mentality with him into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and as a Wrestling coach where he constantly encourages his athletes to be the best they can be. In his free time, Steve also loves fishing and plans to do more with that in the future. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Steve's story of what it means to win.

This week we had the honor of speaking with Geoff Deen Owner/Founder of Hardball Cider, a cidery located on a farm in Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania, which has been his family's farm since the late 1890's! Geoff takes us through the beginnings of Hardball Cider, which he founded in 2013 after spending twenty years in corporate America. We learned about Geoff's time helping his father pressing apples from a very young age as well as his love for baseball, which he played at a collegiate level and coached at a professional level with the Philadelphia Force. Geoff's love for baseball coupled with his knowledge of apple pressing gave way to the birth of Hardball Cider. Geoff's goal for the company is for families to enjoy his cider while at the ball game, and since opening in 2013, Hardball Cider has done business dealings with the Philadelphia Phillies! Geoff has also appeared on the Rachel Ray show, which is a story you will want to hear. Hardball Cider hosts a plethora of events throughout the year, and if you would like to learn more you can visit their website at www.hardballcider.com or follow them on Instagram @hardballcider. Sit back and enjoy!

This week we spoke about an important topic of what it means to be a man as we believe there is a lot of progress to be made across the world.  The topic arose from a tiny encounter that occurred at Joe's work however, it was enough for us to address.  We found that you, the audience, are equally as intrigued in the topic since we had the most responses to date.  You gave some really great answers which all held validity.  Look guys, I think it's obvious that we are in the "weak men create bad times" quadrant, and it's finally time that we level up as men and bring us to the good times.   Sit back, relax, and really ponder how you can do better as a men.

This week, we are back with another JitZone episode!  As referenced in the title, we speak about what jiu-jitsu or martial arts means to us.  We also shared the responses of some listeners, as well.   If you train, you are well aware that BJJ/Martial Arts are more than just fighting.  Whether it be for self-defense, a sense of comradery, to persevere, a boost in self-confidence, or an accountability check, we find ourselves returning to the mats.  BJJ, in specific, has been growing at an exceptional rate across the country, which we believe will have a positive effect for the future.  So, what does BJJ/martial arts mean to you?  Enjoy.

This week we took a trip to Yoga Odyssey in Somerville, New Jersey and spoke with its owner/founder, Zachy Christodoulou.  Yoga Odyssey is not your typical yoga studio, in fact, it's more of a community where people come to build friendships while practicing what they love.  In this episode, you can really feel Zachy's love of life, her family, and her students.  Zachy shares how she sought Yoga in 2013 after suffering a horrific knee injury during a competitive volleyball match.  Although she helped bring her team to the championship, it came at a cost; a great one however, which would allow her to find her passion and purpose.  Outside of the studio, Zachy is a competitive athlete who routinely performs in Iron Man Triathlons in which she competed this year in Greece, a Mother, and Wife.  Come join us in listening to Zachy's story.

This week we had a blast as we sat down with Joe Farina.  Joe is a resident of Morris County, a lifelong martial artist, and police officer in which he holds the rank of Sargent, however his most proud accomplishment is that of being a Father and Husband.  We spoke about his career in law enforcement, his love for martial arts, and his philosophy on life which includes having a positive impact on the world.  Joe always looks for ways to better the community both on and off duty, whether it be pulling over to shoot hoops with residents, defusing stressful situations while on patrol, or teaching Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) to fellow LEOs.  Having been in martial arts for 32 years, Joe is well versed in self-defense, holding black belts in both BJJ and Karate.  Joe believes that every officer should be training BJJ and thus devotes time to teach BJJ every Sunday at 8am at Pure MMA (where he is also a student).  The best part is that it's FREE; so if you are in law enforcement and you want to start training, Joe is waiting for you.  You may reach out to Joe with any questions on Instagram at Karatekid01fan.  Fun fact, as his name suggests, Joe is a huge fan of the film Karate Kid and was an extra on the Kobra Kai series!  Sit back and enjoy the show!