Zealous State of Mind Podcast with the Guru of Gainz

It was a real pleasure to talk with Tessa. When I first came across her, I thought she was just an athlete who studied abroad through her sport which is partly true and still impressive but I was only scratching the surface in terms of what Tessa is up to and who she is.

I don't know if I've met anyone who's achieved so many things at such a high level. Politician, athlete, entrepreneur, conservationist, brand ambassador and environmentalist are some of things she has done and hats she hats she has worn so far. It seems as though she's only getting started as well! 

Tessa is very driven, hardworking, a deep thinker and really looking to make a positive impact in everything she does.

I really enjoyed this conversation and I'm sure you will too. Be sure to check it out and to let me know what you think. #ZealousStateofMind 

Was a pleasure to sit down and talk with the hard working, humble and mindful Black Fern that is Niall William's.

Niall is not only doing great things on the field with her team but she's also making an impact off the field with her pay it forward attitude and big heart for others.

She's overcome alot so far in her career but she maintains an amazingingly positive attitude of gratitude despite the setbacks she has gone through over the years.

We cover many topics from her upbringing, touch career, how Peter Walter's the touch legend mentored her and much more!

Listen in for an insight into the mind o a true athlete and professional. #ZealousStateofMind 

I had been looking forward to this episode for a while and it didn't disappoint. Learned alot from this open conversation and also had a bunch of fun. 

Me and Ming's relationship goes along way back with both our families being connected for years through the club Richmond Rovers and the great game that is Rugby League.

I knew Ming had gotten into fitness after his League career and I had seen and heard about some of the awesome things he was doing with all those he worked with. I was really excited to pick his brain and to hear firsthand about his journey so far.

Ming is old school, he works hard, respects people, goes the extra mile but for me, what stood out most is his humility and adaptability. 

Even though he's done well with his business and had many successes, he's still always looking to learn, grow and adapt where he needs to.

Tune in for a great chat with an ever evolving leader who walks the walk. #ZealousStateofMind

Whether you are into sales or not, it is something that is unavoidable for all of us. We are selling ourselves everyday at work, school and even when we are looking for friends or a partner. Funny way to look at it but it's the truth if you really think about.

Today's guest is member of the WesWes Network and has his own podcast called "The Pitch with Joey Nanai" where he shares some great bite size pieces of information about sales that he has learnt through his experiences along the way. 

In this episode, we cover some of Joey's travels through Rugby, how he got into sales, the psychology of sales and much more!

Tune in for a great conversation about a skill we could all improve upon and be more aware of. Enjoy!:)

On this episode, my beautiful wife kindly joins me to keep my weekly episode a week streak going and to share about her experience with our new born baby Samara. She talks about FI'KA which is her creative mind and outlet. We learn about some of the projects/jobs she has done in the past and what she would like to do in the future. She also gives us bit of a background of her upbringing before answering my final few questions. 

Listen in for an insight into a mother of two, daughter, sister, creative mind and the person who is responsible for helping to bring most of my ideas to life. Enjoy!:)

Update show topics.

- WesWes Network

- Baby Samara

- Fatherhood and fathers day.

- Masculine Man Program

- Possible Podcast Sponsor

- Basketball Coaching and Development

- New favourite number and sports teams

 Ashleigh Karaitiana is a professional basketball player and NZ Tall Fern who played four years at the University of Hawaii. 

Ashleigh and her partner Mathew are proud parents of their daughter Kalea. 

It was really cool to connect with Ashleigh and hear about her story so far. She's accomplished so much in the world of basketball but she still has a lot of drive and aspirations in and outside of the game. 

Ashleigh was born in NZ but played a lot of her rep youth basketball in Australia after moving there when she was was young, then deciding it was a better path for her developmentally and opportunity wise. 

We covered many great topics but what stood out to me in this episode is her strong mentality, confidence and leadership skills. 

I learned some great stuff from Ashleigh and really enjoyed this chat as I'm sure all who tune in will too!:) 

I hope y'all enjoy. #ZealousStateofMind

EP14 - Guru of Gainz, Jan Zabawzki aka Yushu 

Everyday with Garage Gym NZ Podcast - Stefan Smith

An eye-opening, hard hitting, right in the real feels, kind of conversation, with the one and only Jan Zabawski aka Yushu or better known as Guru of Gainz! We covered numerous topics.. Family, education, training, CrossFit, human nature, reading and faith. Which for him underpins everything he has been through and where he is heading, for himself, and his family. There is so much more to this man than meets the eye, and the sheer grit and determination to persevere, I take my hat off to you. Enjoy

Was good to finally touch base (even if it was on Zoom) and catch up with Darren. It had been so long since our last conversation. 

Darren leads from the front and has seen and done a lot over the years. He was the first to open up a CrossFit affiliate here in NZ.

With all that experience and knowledge under his belt, I was really excited to pick his brain and see what his thoughts and perspective was with all the recent changes surrounding CrossFit, especially with Greg Glassman stepping down as CEO and with all the gym/fitness space going online all over the world.

Darren is one of the few Coaches/Leaders that I really respect, so it was great to talk with him about fulfillment, purpose, programming, movement mastery and fighting the good fight in terms of preaching training for life, longevity, health, vitality and long term sustainability. Especially since this way of thinking and style of training isn't always appealing to hard chargers and goes against a lot of what is popular at the moment with HIIT training, boot-camps, F45 and high volume/intensity CrossFit training.

Really enjoyed this chat and look forward doing it again (in person) sometime in the future after a training session and some food!

Hope y'all enjoy the episode too!:) 

Intro: A Bronx Tale Commentary // Music: Common - Be (Intro) 

#ZealousStateofMind #GuruofGainz

Episode 9: Leadership, Well-being and Podcasting with Jan Zabawski

Episode Description

Today on the Thought Plantation Podcast, I have fellow Podcaster and fitness enthusiast Jan Zabawski share his story. 

We discuss his time of running the Zealous Gym for 8 years, creating the Zealous brand, his experiences in leadership roles, thoughts on wellbeing/fitness and his transition into Podcasting. We had a great time discussing these topics and diving into more controversial points of view. So grab a spade, chuck on your gum boots and join us on the Thought Plantation Podcast! 

Intro/Outro: Screems from the Old Plantation by King Kapisi