Andy Petranek Podcast

2008 Olympic Silver Medal Gymnast, Sam Peszek, summed up the simple choice presented to her over and again during the first 15 years of her life: “I can either eat the cookie and not go to the Olympics or leave it be and go to the Olympics.” This week’s guest on the WLC podcast is a little different than most of our recent guests. Samantha Peszek (pronounced Pesh-eck) doesn’t have a book or a website or a pre-made plan for how you can overcome the roadblocks you face. She has something else: the unwavering will to achieve a goal, no matter how bodacious. Samantha began her gymnastics training at age two, and played soccer and studied dance as a child as well. Gymnastics, though, won out, and by age twelve, after ten years of consistent, hard work, she became the youngest member of the US National Gymnastics Team. Although she and her teammates won many gymnastics competitions and championships, it was her 2008 Silver Medal Olympic performance that she is most proud of. [Note: For the complete set of show note

Could you go a week without your phone, without email, Facebook, or even text messaging? Sometimes the thing we try to avoid is the thing we need the most. My guest today, Joe DiStefano, found that, despite his fears, a “digital detox” was exactly what he needed to break out of stress and stagnation. For more than 6 years, Joe has been working with Spartan Race, Inc, and is now Director of Sport & Training Initiatives at Spartan Race. He has a bachelor of science degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Fitchburg State University, and has almost completed his master’s degree in Sports Psychology. Joe is certified through the NASM as a Performance Enhancement Specialist and Corrective Exercise Specialist and is also a Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He has been trained at the C.H.E.K Institute as a Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast]

When we hear the term personal branding, most of us think of social media “stars” who are trying to market a product with their personalities, but a personal brand is both more pedestrian, and more important than that. In fact, we should all have a personal brand, if you ask Richard Janes. Richard describes himself as “a personal brand expert with a passion for storytelling.” He has worked with actors, athletes, musicians, television hosts, executives, and entrepreneurs, helping them connect with their authentic selves and, as a result, connect with and strongly influence others. Richard founded and still provides strategic oversight to Fanology, the Hollywood-based social media and digital studio. He also sits on a number of startup boards, and continues to share his love of storytelling through various writing, directing, & acting projects. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] Your Personal Brand Is Who You Are The key to

“The thoughts that you feed yourself on a consistent basis will influence your reality in a much greater way than you may give credit for.” - Ryan Parsons I’m living in kitchen remodeling hell this week. Perhaps you’ve been through something similar? The struggle is real. Or, it was until I realized that my experience of the situation was a choice I had made. Get the details in the intro to the podcast. My guest this week is Ryan Parsons, co-author (with UFC star Chael Sonnen) of The Four-Pack Revolution: How You Can Aim Lower, Cheat on Your Diet, and Still Lose Weight and Keep It Off, He is also an accomplished chiropractor, mixed martial arts coach and promoter, and a former competitive gymnast. How has he been able to accomplish all that? Through his realization that we have much more control over our lives than we might think. That control is a double-edged sword, though, because we are just as responsible for our failures as our successes. In the podcast, Ryan describes exactly how he self-patterns to pr

We’ve all been there—a problem pops up that needs an immediate, effective solution, but instead of thinking of solutions, all we can think is, “OH NO!” We freeze up. Negativity can block us from succeeding. Dr. Christopher P. Neck has devoted his life to learning and teaching methods for becoming more effective and successful, and now he shares them with us. Dr. Neck defines management as the process of accomplishing goals. He feels strongly that we must manage ourselves before we can manage others. Chris teaches hundreds of Arizona State University undergraduate students each semester in self-management and self-leadership. An Associate Professor of Management at Arizona State University, he received his Ph.D. in Management from Arizona State University and his M.B.A. from Louisiana State University. Dr. Neck is author of ten books including Self-Leadership: Developing Your Personal Excellence and Fit To Lead: The Proven 8-week Solution for Shaping Up Your Body, Your Mind, and Your Career. [Note: For the com

Aaron Alexander, CR, LMT, CPT has over a decade of success as a manual therapist and movement coach. The founder of Align Therapy™, Aaron helps his clients move from pain into health through an integrated approach to functional movement and self-care. He works with everyone from office workers to Olympic and professional athletes as well as speaking and teaching nationally and internationally. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] Believe it or not, your every movement is teaching your body to adapt. Your everyday life, all your physical activity and inactivity, creates the foundation for your health, or lack thereof. By becoming more aware of this, then controlling the messages you send to your body, you can rebalance it and literally move toward a pain-free, more enjoyable life. Aaron and Andy talk about everything from how our childhood influences our emotional drive and physical trajectory to Rolfing, why watching yourself i

“There is this misconception that we have that we can kick the can down the road in anything in our life that we’re not happy with. We can just wait ‘til tomorrow...these tomorrows may never come.” -Eric Remensperger We each have moments in our lives that forever shift our trajectory. Sometimes they are clearly positive - graduating from college or meeting our future spouse, for example. Other times, the positive side is hard to see, such as being diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. For Eric Remensperger, stage four prostate cancer was both life-shattering and an undeniable call to purpose, a call which he now devotes himself to answering. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] Once a hard-drinking, hard-living New York City attorney, Eric knew that he couldn’t maintain that lifestyle and expect to live a long, healthy life. He started down the wellness road in the 90’s, making big changes in long-term habits to improv

Dr. Lane Sebring is founder and director of the Sebring Clinic in Wimberley Texas. His practice focuses on healing people who are at the end of the line, have no hope, don’t know where to turn, and have exhausted all other options. The root of his philosophy - a no-sugar, paleolithic approach. People come to see Dr. Sebring because they are desperate for help. This is, in part, why they heal. They listen (since nothing else has worked, why not?). They do what they’re told (remember, they’re desperate). They trust him (he is, after all, an MD - albeit unconventional). He is no-nonsense. If you don’t want to get better and want to just keep taking your meds, don’t bother making an appointment. And guess what? Most of his patients get better. Often miraculously. His practice focuses on treating the underlying causes of dis-ease rather than the symptoms. Patients reverse many conditions and diseases that they thought to be untreatable. He is the hammer, the “shove in the right direction,” insistent that the answe

In 2013, Dan “Nitro” Clark went from American Gladiator to heart attack survivor. Rather than letting it beat him, though, Dan was eventually able to turn his near-death experience into inspiration for positive change in his own life as well as helping others. For seven years, Dan Clark played “Nitro,” the iconic American Gladiator. Before that, he was a defensive lineman at San Jose State University and even played for the Los Angeles Rams. He measured his happiness based on achievements, getting the “right” outcomes. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] Taking away such a man’s physical power could easily rob him of his will to live. The aftermath of Dan’s heart attack might have crushed his spirit, but he had other plans. Since this life-altering experience, Dan now sees life through a different lens - one that includes slowing down, being more mindful, serving others, smiling more, and even being vulnerable. Through his n

Dorothy Breininger is one of America's Most Trusted Professional Organizers and is on a mission to create more space on the planet. “Dorothy The Organizer” is most widely known as the problem solver on the Emmy-nominated show, “Hoarders.” She is also the best-selling author of five books. In her latest book, Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff, she approaches organizing from the perspective of what our clutter says about our emotional condition, and how that can translate into other self-destructive or self-sabotaging behaviors such as overeating. She should know—in the course of decluttering her life, Dorothy lost (and has kept off) 75 pounds. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] Join Dorothy and Andy for an honest and compelling discussion of the struggle so many of us have with clutter, disorganization, body- and self-image, procrastination, food addiction, and the relationship strain that can occur when partners’ ideas about

Dr. David Perlmutter is a Board-Certified Neurologist and four-time New York Times bestselling author. He serves on the Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals including Archives of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and The Journal of Applied Nutrition. His books have been published in 28 languages and include Grain Brain, The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs and Sugar, with over 1 million copies in print. Dr. Perlmutter also wrote the New York Times bestsellers Brain Maker, The Grain Brain Cookbook, and his most recent book, The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan (November 2016). [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] In this episode, Andy’s discussion with Dr. Perlmutter explores the importance of prebiotics and probiotics (and helps to distinguish between the two), the dangers of leaky gut syndrome, how to achieve and maintain a keto-adapted

Jeff Tucker, a former Fort Worth, Texas, firefighter, bomb tech, and arson investigator for twenty years, has spent the last ten years as director of CrossFit Gymnastics. Jeff got his start in gymnastics as a competitive gymnast in the 1970s. "Tucker,” as he is known to his friends, was a guest speaker for United States Gymnastics Association congress, coached gymnastics and cheer for six years at Texas Christian University (TCU), and is the CEO of GSX Athletics and GSX CrossFit. Together with CrossFit Gymnastics, he has trained over 300,000 people. All this has come from following his passion. Jeff’s passion is to help anyone who desires to be stronger, more flexible, and more mobile with the eventual goal of advanced body awareness and movement. Join Andy and Tucker for a fun discussion of gymnastics training for everyone, how to get started and then keep progressing, handstands (and more handstands!), how to train kinesthetic awareness, building a foundation of strength, and more. Jeff shares some of his e

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” - David Allen Do you find yourself wondering where all the time is going to come from to meet your commitments? Even if you can do that, how about time for yourself, your family, and friends? And just when you think you’ve got a handle on it, something else comes up! How do the world’s busiest people handle it all? They turn to David Allen for help.  David Allen is widely recognized as the world’s leading expert on personal and organizational productivity. He is the engineer of GTD®, the popular Getting Things Done® methodology that has shown millions how to transform a fast-paced, overwhelming, overcommitted life into one that is balanced, integrated, relaxed, and has more successful outcomes. GTD’s broad appeal is based on the fact that it is applicable from the boardroom to the living room to the classroom. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast]

Dr. H. Ron Hulnick is recognized as a pioneer and worldwide leader in the field of spiritual psychology. Together with his wife, Dr. Mary R. Hulnick, he serves as the University of Santa Monica’s Founding Faculty and Co-Director, designing USM’s extraordinary curriculum and facilitating their transformational graduate programs.  [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast]  In 2011, Ron and Mary co-authored Loyalty to Your Soul: The Heart of Spiritual Psychology, and it is now available in twelve countries and eight languages. With the launch of their online program, Ron and Mary have taken the teachings of spiritual psychology beyond the classroom and out into the world. Their highly successful courses inspired Ron and Mary’s latest book, Remembering the Light Within: A Course in Soul-Centered Living. Don’t miss this very special discussion between Andy Petranek and Dr. Ron Hulnick. You’ll learn what a spiritual psychologist does, h

This week’s Whole Life Challenge podcast guest is John Durant. John is the author of The Paleo Manifesto and co-author of Spartan Fit! by Joe De Sena, founder of Spartan Race (July 2016). He is also the founder of Wild Ventures, an angel syndicate focused on consumer health products & technology. He advises Thrive Market, Exo, AOBiome, Greatist, Brilliant Bicycles, Hu Kitchen, and Power Supply. John studied evolutionary psychology at Harvard under Steven Pinker before moving to New York City and becoming a "professional caveman": mimicking a hunter-gatherer diet, running barefoot through Central Park, experimenting with intermittent fasting, and doing polar bear swims in the Atlantic. He has been featured in the New York Times and The New Yorker, interviewed on The Colbert Report and NPR Morning Edition, and has been rated one of The 100 Most Influential People in Health & Fitness. Prior to becoming a professional caveman, he spent three and a half years at an ad tech startup after a stint in manageme

What if your urge to eat was just as understandable as your urge to save yourself from drowning? How would that affect your feelings of guilt, your self-talk, and the way you think about your relationship to food? The processed food industry develops hundreds, if not thousands, of new, ever-more-palatable concoctions every year. Each one is designed to play on your urge to survive in order to make you want more and more. Robb Wolf, renowned paleo diet researcher and proponent, has written a new book called Wired to Eat that addresses the unfortunate ease with which we can be preyed upon to consume more and more hyperpalatable foods. The good news? It is not your fault. The bad news? Knowing and acting on information are two different things. That is why Robb wrote the book - to outline his method for helping you customize your diet based on the unique and individual responses your body has to the foods that you eat. By going through this process, you’ll learn to make smarter food choices in just about every

Journaling is as old as language. While journaling may have begun as a way to simply keep a record, it has evolved into a method used by millions of people to clarify their thinking, increase creativity, and even become better leaders. Our guest today is an online teacher and somewhat of a celebrity in one of those journaling systems called Bullet Journaling. There are plenty of bullet journaling websites around, and plenty of buzz around the idea of bullet journaling. But, beyond the appeal of unattainably-beautiful pages that seem to be the norm on social media, what, exactly, is a bullet journal good for, and how do I do it? [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] Kara Benz, creator of BohoBerry.com, teaches her readers how to live a more centered, fulfilled, and inspiring life full of creative energy and focus. In this podcast, Kara shares with us how she has used bullet journaling to achieve those goals in her own life. List

“This [book] took more than two years of my life and 20cc’s of my soul to complete. It contains the answers I wish I’d had many years ago about what leads to a successful life, all drawn from scientific research and expert insight.” - Eric Barker, on his book Barking Up the Wrong Tree How do we know what success is? Is happiness still an undefined destination? What have we got right, and where do we have room for improvement?  These are the questions Eric Barker spends his time answering. His style of research-based self-improvement helps his readers to live happier, more fulfilling lives. After eight years of researching and writing over 5,000 posts on his blog about his findings, he’s here to share some of what he’s learned with us. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] Here are the highlights: 17:05 — Why quantity is king when it comes to creative work. 20:22 — Creating your own work-life balance. 32:53 — Schedule work,

Greg Glassman, the founder of the global fitness company and community movement, CrossFit, Inc., is a true visionary. Not afraid to speak his mind or upset people if that’s what it takes to deliver his message, Glassman is on a quest to end the involvement of “Big Soda” in the health sciences. [Note: For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] Wait, back up. Did you even know that PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, Inc. were involved in the world of health sciences? Oh yes — they are. And how are they involved? Pepsi and Coke both provide money to run health programs, initiatives and studies. And because of that, they get to assert their power, creating their own health science target agenda based on corporate fiscal goals, initiatives that get created, what gets studied, who gets hired to conduct studies, which of the studies continue to get funding, and perhaps even which study results get shared and which don’t. When the world is suffering from an ob

Mark England, the founder of Procabulary, has been on a life-long quest of self-improvement. Through a series of adventures (some intentional, others completely unplanned), he found his way to the world of language. [For the complete set of show notes, links, and contact info, head to https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast] There, he discovered the impact of the words we use on our actions and behavior. He found that language can influence behavior, and changing our language is the first step in changing our lives. After experiencing the incredible power of this language change for himself, he started teaching others. Thousands of hours later, he’s developed a self-paced online course called the Core Language Upgrade. You’ll find out a lot about the system, its development, and how to implement some of it into your life right now by listening to the podcast. If you’re interested in taking the course, he makes an incredibly generous offer for WLC podcast listeners near the end of the conversation (but you’