Guest: Josh Trent
All good things must come to an end, they say.
If you’ve been a long-time follower of Underground Wellness you may recall my old sidekick, Josh Trent.
Josh and I had some classic moments on the YouTube channel, where we uploaded some of the most outrageous and hilarious fitness videos ever.
Like the time we TRXed on the trolley.
Or when we took over the IDEA World Fitness Convention.
And who can forget the security guard doing pull-ups from the back of a moving truck?
Josh and I were a great fit on-camera and soon became good friends.
But at some point things started to change, and eventually he and I could no longer stand each other. Josh had to go.
What were we feuding over?
Money.
But not so much in the typical ways people are at each other’s throats over money. This was something entirely different.
In today’s episode of Underground Wellness Radio, Josh Trent and I reunite after four years of relative estrangement to hash out our differences and put the matter to rest, for good.
Click the PLAY button at the top of this post to listen to Episode #345 with Josh Trent.
Happy Friday, pals.
Sean
Podcast #344: Tragedy, Turmoil, and Transformation.
Guest: Cynthia Pasquella
I was watching Thursday Night Football last night…
The broadcast opened with a motivational segment, narrated by award-wining actor Forrest Whitaker, about the undeniable facts of life — the ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, victories and struggles.
Life is never easy, he said.
Nor would he have it any other way. Because it’s the hardships, adversities, and setbacks — the behind-the-scenes drama — that make the victories so sweet.
The struggle is not optional but requisite. Happens for us, not to us. It has the propensity to topple, teach, or transform. The choice is ours.
Mr. Whitaker’s speech could not have come at a more perfect time, as it embodied the life and times of today’s podcast guest.
If you ever met Cynthia Pasquella, you might notice her slight Southern twang, welcoming smile, or made-for-TV looks. You might wonder where you’d seen her before. And if you couldn’t quite place her, you’d certainly Google her the first chance you get.
What you’d find is a successful, passionate woman living her purpose — the bestselling author, the media personality, the public speaker and educator, the entrepreneur.
But what you’d likely never imagine is her struggle.
Behind the curtain and out of sight is the story of a deeply impoverished upbringing beset with domestic violence, sexual abuse, and interminable tragedy.
On today’s episode, Cynthia revealed her story to me (and to you) in a way that she has never told it before. Unfiltered and powerfully vulnerable.
It’s a story that could have easily toppled her, but she chose transformation. It happened for her, not to her. Life is never easy.
Click the PLAY button above to listen to the entire episode.
Leave a comment and let us know what you think!
See you next week,
Sean
Podcast #343: Kale and Coffee.
Guest: Kevin Gianni
I used to be so neurotic…
If that perfectly healthy vegetable wasn’t on my Metabolic Typing food list, I wouldn’t eat it. It would shift me “out of balance”.
If I forgot to bring my water bottle to the gym, I would much rather die of thirst than take a sip from the fountain. That chlorine would kill me … instantly.
If the hotel room didn’t have blackout curtains, there’s no way I could sleep.
But let’s just ignore the fact that I slept like a baby before some blogger told me that even the teeny, tiniest light exposure would “suppress my melatonin”.
I’m not saying that the Metabolic Typing Diet, avoiding trace exposures to chlorine, and keeping pitch black sleeping quarters are all ridiculously pointless ideas. Not at all.
What I am saying is that my own relentless efforts to implement every single “healthy lifestyle tip” I ever heard or read about sent me off the deep end. Totally overboard.
It wasn’t just me.
My friend Kevin Gianni, once a hugely popular raw vegan YouTuber, was suffering from a similar neurosis. Perceived to be the model of perfect health to tens of thousands of viewers, Kevin’s life behind-the-scenes was something different altogether.
He was irritable. Obsessed over his next meal. Chronically fatigued. And just no fun to be around.
As it turns out, Kevin’s supposed healthy obsession was making him ill. His tenacious pursuit to unearth the complexities of utopian health ultimately brought him back to one place…
Simplicity.
On today’s episode of Underground Wellness Radio, Kevin and I discuss his journey from raw food “renegade” to the more reasonable, realistic husband and father of two he is today.
I actually uploaded this episode last Friday and many of my iTunes subscribers have called it their favorite episode EVER. You’ll dig it.
Click the PLAY button above to listen to the entire episode.
If you want automatic downloads on the day I post new episodes, subscribe on iTunes!
And don’t forget to pick up Kevin’s book Kale and Coffee. It’s on my list of Top Books of 2015.
Enjoy!
Sean
Podcast #342: Immoveable Heart, Unstoppable Mind.
Guest: David Zappasodi
Even I can get caught up in this…
At times, I find myself consumed with thoughts of who and how I used to be.
The ultra-lean personal trainer who could eat anything he wanted and never gain a pound.
The guy who could crush himself in the gym for 2 hours and wake up the next day feeling like he could do it all over again.
The one who didn’t have to warm up and stretch for 30 minutes just to keep from injuring himself in the weight room.
Though I know darn well that the 20-something version of me — the always-at-the-gym trainer who surely walked at least 25,000 steps a day — is long gone, I still sometimes wonder if I can ever get that body back.
It’s as if my brain is in the business of fooling me into believing that a set of shredded, six-pack-abs will bring more joy into my life. That I can be happier and more fulfilled one day if I get what had back then.
But living in the past to get somewhere in the future only serves omits the now.
And thinking that obsessing over and one day achieving a goal will result in joy, happiness, and fulfillment implies that I don’t have these emotions already.
Abs won’t make you happy.
Today’s podcast guest, author David Zappasodi, writes in his book Immovable Heart Unstoppable Mind, “Any goal we set is merely a symbol that shows us the emotions we want to experience more of in our lives right now.”
In other words, there is no pot of golden happiness at the end of the rainbow. The rainbow is the gold.
However, we choose to color our rainbows with struggle and restriction, only to find ourselves frustrated and filled with self-sabotage.
“A pattern of struggle cultivates more struggle. A pattern of joy cultivates more joy.”
In today episode of Underground Wellness Radio, David and I discuss his 6 essential practices for living a healthy and fulfilling life, and how to apply them to your health program from long-term success.
This episode kinda turned into my own therapy session. But I hope my personal imperfections — my complete lack of patience, need for certainty, and occasional stormy tendencies — will help you along your rainbow.
Click the PLAY button at the top of this post to listen to the entire episode.
Enjoy the show. See you in a day or two with Episode #343 with Kevin Gianni!
Sean