Break The Chains, Find Your Flame

Episode 13 features someone I have been a long time fan of, and am in awe of... Mike Gillette. Mike Gillette has a life story that reads like an action-adventure novel. A life which has proven to be his own best case-study for goal attainment. He was a poor, scared and scrawny kid who  grew up amidst a backdrop of extreme violence and substance abuse. A kid who would ultimately become an Army Paratrooper, SWAT Commander, Government Counter-Terrorism Consultant, Bodyguard to Fortune 500 CEOs and a Record-Breaking Motivational Strongman whose feats have been documented by Guinness World Records and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. As both practitioner and purveyor, Mike is a peak-performance pioneer. And at over 50 years of age, he continues to transcend his own personal limits while teaching others how to do the same. www.mikegillette.com Instagram: @mike.gillette Facebook: Mike Gillette --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support (https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support)

Welcome back!!! Today's episode is with Shaun Herr, a good friend of mine from the UK. Shaun and I met three years ago at Dragon Door's PCC. Since then Shaun has been busy with helping people break the slimming cycle. He has his own podcast, The Shaun Herr Show (yours truly was lucky enough to be on an episode), his own online training program "The Shaun Herr Academy", and his own book "Finding Balance". We get into how he helps people break the slimming cycle and how important nutrition is to the game of health and wellness, and more importantly why fad diets are no good!!! http://shaunherr.co.uk/ (http://shaunherr.co.uk/) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support (https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support)

Welcome back guys!!! Episode 11 starts off with a bang!! We don't even introduce our guest "officially" until towards the end of the episode. No worries though, I won't keep you waiting in these here show notes, our guest today is Martin Dubovic… Aka Barstruck Martin … Aka Kalisthenics Nomad … Aka E-Ratic Madman. Martin and I first met at the PCC three years ago... as you'll hear, we started talking over our love for healthy snacks. We get into nutrition early in the episode, and Martin has some amazing thoughts on health, cleanliness, and spiritual well being of the food we eat. Martin left his job, two years ago, and now travels the world, exploring different cultures, lifestyles and food. His love for health, animals, and different cultures is awe inspiring, and is something that really shines through through out all of the episode. I really enjoyed catching up with Martin, we could have easily did five more podcasts about all of the things we have in common. We will definitely have him back again to ta

I was so honored to be able to sit down with Nikki Myers and talk about her experiences with addiction, recovery, Y12sr, somatic experiencing and much more. It truly was a breath of fresh air to speak with her and get to pick her brain on so many subjects. She shares with us some great gems of knowledge, I can't even pick my favorite one, I will leave it up to you to decide what her most pertinent thought in the podcast is!!! An accomplished speaker, teacher and practitioner, Nikki Myers is an MBA, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, Addictions Recovery Specialist, and Certified Health Coach. Born from her personal struggle with addiction, Nikki is the founder of Y12SR, The Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Based in its theme ‘the issues live in the tissues’, Y12SR is a relapse prevention program that weaves the art & science of yoga with the practical tools of 12-step programs. Y12SR meetings are now available throughout the world and the curriculum is rapidly becoming a feature of addicti

Our guest for this episode, is the one, the only, Danny Kavadlo. This was an amazing episode as we got to sit down with Danny and talk about everything and anything. From calisthenics, to therapy. From traveling the world, to balancing empathy. We had a blast catching up and talking about ways people can get outside of their comfort zone and really challenge themselves, and in the process grow stronger. I do have to warn you, this episode is packed with some explicit language- we get passionate, and it brings out some colorful language. It's all in good fun, but maybe don't have this on blast if you are at work, or spending time with your kids!!! Danny Kavadlo is one of the world’s leading authorities on calisthenics, nutrition and personal training. He is known globally for his minimalist philosophy, feats of strength, and over-the-top personality.  Mr. Kavadlo is the author of numerous fitness titles including #1 Amazon best sellers https://www.dragondoor.com/eb91/?apid=513a1e35e981b (GET STRO

Today we got to sit down with my fellow geek, Michele Heyward. And boy, let me tell you, she is a blast. I first met Michele in the VVM Start Up Accelerator- much like Episode 6 guest Oscar. Michele blew my mind early on. Her warmth, charisma, humor and caring are all evident from the minute she says hello to you. She can conversate with the best of them, and she holds your interest. But what you don't see until you get to know her, is her extreme want to help create a world of equal opportunity, equity, and respect. Oh you learn it within five minutes, but by then you already know Michele for who she is. She is one of the most genuine people you can ever meet, and she will have you in stitches for hours. We get to talk about her passions, her history, and how she is advocating for change in the STEM field, specifically for women of color.  You may notice that Michele's company is actually name PositiveHire, and that the name of the episode is actually Positive Higher.... this wasn't a mistake- in the e

We were very fortunate to sit down with an amazingly empowered and awesome lady for this episode. Jillian and I dive deep into theories of self care, happiness, and resilience. Jillian Manus is an experienced entrepreneur, technology investor, and banking and media executive. She is currently a Managing Partner of Structure Capital VC, a seed and early-stage venture fund providing capital and marketing strategy to companies exploiting under-utilized assets and excess capacity. Jillian sits on numerous board including Stanford University Digital Health, Stanford University School of Medicine Board of Fellows, Advisory Board of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Board of Directors, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and Communities in Schools. She also sits on the board of several of her portfolio companies, including Hyp3r, Workpath, Revelar, and Liquiglide. Prior to Structure Capital, Jillian was the Founder of Broad Strategy, Manus Media,

Today we got to sit down with my good friend, Oscar Pedroso. In this episode we dive deep into Oscar's passions to help youth gain access to hands on engineering kits and models. We deeply talk about his approach to life and positive thinking, and we hear about his early life, his struggles, and what it took to get him through the obstacles in his life that were put in his way. We also have some great shout outs to Oscar's Dad, and other friends of ours in the Valley Venture Mentor crew. Oscar is founder / CEO of Thimble.io - an education technology business founded in 2015 and based in Buffalo, NY. He hails from New York City and was introduced to Western New York upon his enrollment at the University of Rochester where he graduated with degrees in Math and Economics. He is a first generation college graduate and entrepreneur. After graduation, Oscar worked in higher-education as a college admission officer at his alma mater; his focus there was recruiting students of color from disadvantaged backgrounds t

 Our guest this episode is our good friend, Hermoine Hamlin. Hermoine and I used to work as Therapists at a mental health clinic out by Boston. We bonded over talks of hip hop and energetic work/healing. Hermoine Hamlin is a Usui Reiki Master, Angel Messenger and Intuitive with years of experience in energy work, connection with spirit, mediumship and angel readings. She maintains the ultimate belief that healing and connection can take on many forms. Hermoine is truly passionate about assisting others with “transcendent empowerment through intuitive action,” with the belief that assisting others with making informed decisions, via spiritual intervention, will inevitably make the world a better place. She practices meditation on a daily basis and connects with spirit regularly. Over the past 15 years, Hermoine has formally and informally studied various energy and spiritual teachings. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Howard University; a Master’s degree from George Washington University

Welcome to Episode 4!!!! Today we got to sit down with the amazing Grace Kavadlo!!!!  Grace is badass!! Whether she's teaching yoga, waxing philosophically about comics, getting tattooed, or just busting out Human Flags, Grace brings the energy, and she did not disappoint on this episode!! We got to check in with Grace about mind and muscle, and how to combine both in your workouts and goal settings. We talked about her recent challenges around getting back into her fitness routines and goals, after giving birth 9 months ago. She has an awesome outlook on life, and it is contagious!! We hope you enjoy the episode!!! And as always, if you like what you are hearing, subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review! Things we referenced in this episode: https://dieselgrace.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saga_(comics) https://www.garagegymgirl.com/ https://www.dragondoor.com/workshops/?F_c=35 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steven-opa

Welcome to Episode 3!! Our guest is Jonny Tran; a man of many talents. He is a local trainer, leader, Marine, and all around awesome guy. I first met Jonny when he was a senior in high school. He participated in a youth leadership group, LACES, that I was running at Springfield College. Upon first meeting Jonny, it is evident that he stands out from others. He is funny, caring, charismatic, and positive. We dive into some of these qualities and how he is able to maintain these, even in times of strife and negativity. We also talk about his general outlook on life, what the future holds for him, and some of his favorite, and least favorite, exercises. It was an honor to catch up with him, and see how he has applied himself over the years. I am proud to call him a friend, and happy that you get to meet such an awesome individual through this podcast. One quick note: I make reference to Jocko Willink and his podcast in this episode, I unfortunately listed him as a Marine, when in fact, he is a Navy Seal. I apolo

Marcus Opalenik is a Co-Founder of the Promethean Project, and an insightful martial artist. He has been practicing martial arts for the last twenty years, and has spent 6 of those years in Taiwan studying with world renowned Martial Artist , Luo De Xiu. Marcus is great thinker, philosopher, and problem solver... and he is not afraid to make an inappropriate joke from time to time. We dig deep in this interview, and talk a little bit about his journey with martial arts, how he became interested in them, and what are their real world practical uses besides just the martial components. It was fun to sit down with him and talk about how to build up the body and brain, to make a strong supportive emotional and spiritual environment. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support (https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support)

We got a chance to sit down with one of our Founders, and a future host of the podcast, Caitlin Langone!!! Caitlin and I spoke about her journey towards a wellness focused lifestyle, some of her struggles along the way, and her current status on her wellness infused lifestyle. We had some great laughs, talked about The Promethean Project, comics, wellness, and ideas that drive us towards our passion of a community based wellness model.  Take a listen, share, hit that 5 star button, and subscribe for more interviews by people who are working on reaching their potential, and having fun in the process. Show notes: https://dibujando.net/files/fs/p/c/2000x2000/2014/25/thor_pig_73111.jpg - Ham Time https://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/piyo-workout-dvds.do?code=SEMB_PY_MSN&utm_campaign=&utm_term=piyo&trackingid=sOKTAh7Yb - PiYo --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support (https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support)

Welcome to the Promethean Project's Podcast, Break The Chains, Find Your Flame!!!! This is Episode 0- or as we like to call it, Our Awkward Introduction.  This is our teaser trailer to get you hyped up for the upcoming interviews, guests, and gems of knowledge that we hope to send your way.  So buckle up, and enjoy the next couple of minutes. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support (https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support)