We’ll Take it From Here with Joe

This week we had an inspiring conversation with our cameraman Jon Brown, who has also been filling in for Don. To start off, Jon's passion for filming has improved the visual aspect of the show, so if you have not watched our YouTube yet, we highly recommend you do. This week, I decided that it would be a great idea for Jon to share his life story since you will be hearing from him more often. Like many other guests on the show, Jon shared some personal events from his childhood, which helped shape who he is today, and we are grateful for it. The one thing about our guests that truly amazes me is how great they feel after sharing personal experiences that have been kept inside for so long. Jon grew up in an interesting household to a strict, "tough-love" father and a mother who abused alcohol. Jon was eventually confronted with his father's infidelity, which was the cherry on top because his father preached good family values his entire life. Despite all of this, Jon was able to keep a somewhat positive mindset through his teen years and into adulthood and turned many negatives into positives. This story, however, is better when you listen from his lips so sit back and enjoy!

Today, Joe drops the very first solo episode, discussing some disturbing news from Roxbury High School in which the school and board of education thought it was okay to have books depicting pornographic images to kids. Joe shares some of his thoughts and some actions that should be taken. The video to which Joe refers can be found on the Instagram page @New_Jersey_Project. Like we say, the show is about being real and making you think, so this is definitely worth speaking about. Really think about what is going on here.

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.