Chris & Friends

This episode focuses on a topic I am deeply passionate about and that is having a healthy relationship with sport. As we all know, sport provides a wonderful outlet for children to learn many great life lessons but over the years, it is as if we have lost sight over what is truly important as youth sport has become a billion dollar industry! In this episode, we discuss anxiety, working alongside parents in trying to create a healthy sport environment, the accessibility of sport and the resources associated with it (access to good coaches, sport psychologists, fields, etc.), the importance of having hobbies and interest outside of sport and so much more!  I hope you enjoy this and if you like what you hear from Dr. Megan, check out her site at https://drmegancannon.com/. Thanks for listening!

In this episode I sit down with a former coach of mine and someone I consider to be a friend and mentor Ben Chunko. Ben is the owner and head coach at Grit Mat Club located in Bethlehem, PA. We touched on so many great topics and I think it is an episode all parents of athletes should listen to. One of my big takeaways was the importance of showing kids how to act. It is not "do as I say" but rather "watch what I do". If you can show the kids how to win, how to lose, how to train, how to learn, how to have discipline, they will then pick up on that and it will become a part of their lifestyle and help pave the way for success on and off the mat. Ben has been walking the walk in this area for a long time and he greatly influenced me as an athlete and a coach. I am more than happy to see the success his program is having. He is a great asset to the community he serves and the sport of wrestling in general. I hope you enjoy this one!

In this episode, Marisa and myself tackle many subjects over the course of this 75 minute episode. We break down what exactly Marisa’s credentials, you get a glimpse of my “skill” in avoiding uncomfortable topics, parenting, getting berated by a coach, and so much more!  I hope you enjoy!

Hello everyone, welcome to the 12th episode of the Chris & Friends podcast! In this episode, I share about my experience of getting shingles, break down the highlights from the past five guests, and share a story about the American Civil War that asks the question: Can we have peace without forgiveness? I hope you all enjoy this episode!

One of the perks of doing this podcast is taking 75 minutes to sit down with a friend and just explore a variety of conversations. Molly and I live in the same neck of the woods but often times when we see each other, it is usually in passing or the conversations are rushed as we are doing something else. But not this time! A recurring theme is in this conversation is that life has many stages. For Molly, she was a Division 1 runner who nearly ran the Olympic qualifying time for the marathon, then an educator, then a parent, and now she is finding time to pursue what she is truly passionate about: a career in fitness and coaching endurance to accomplish whatever it is they are pursuing. I had a few favorite moments during this talk. The first part revolved around being a parent and navigating things like creating healthy habits, being careful using the word "should", coaching your children, and encouraging them to be on a constant quest to explore the many different things life has to offer. The second part which happened to be my favorite was comparing life with being a house with many rooms. What this means is that you should not let one thing (or room) define who you are because what if that is taken away from you one day? This is a topic that can be applied to athletics, teaching, parenting, coaching, and even just being a lifelong pursuer of learning and experimenting with things.

In this episode, I meet with the man who gave me my first job in the world of Strength & Conditioning, Jason Brader. His resume is very impressive. He was one of the first guys in the area who really focused on building high level athletes and over the course of his career, has worked with thousands of high school, college and professional athletes. If you can sum up Jason's life in one way it is facing and overcoming hardship. From working a newspaper route 7 days a week as a teen, to losing both parents as a high school student, to becoming a record setting running and All-American to adulthood where drinking and gambling really started to impact his life in a terrible way, Jason has been tested time and time again. Some of my favorite parts of this episode is our discussion on manufactured hardship versus authentic hardship, moving through life with no safety nets, and filling the void within with the external (which doesn't serve you), rather than focusing inward.

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to meet Haley at one of our wonderful barn events. As the day was coming to a close, a few people stuck around to chat and this is where the conversations started to get a little more interesting. It is also where I got to know Haley. To say this women is multifaceted would be an understatement. She is a kindergarten teacher, a bodybuilder, a personal trainer and most recently, she added holistic health practitioner to her resume with a focus on breath work. We covered a lot of topics over the course of 70 minutes but I will do my best to summarize. At one time in her life, Haley felt that she was not being heard. She was experiencing things that were not normal and felt stuck in life. She had a choice to make: accept my current lot or look for ways to change. She chose change and that decision led her on her ever evolving current path. One thing that came perfectly clear over this episode is that Haley has a primal drive to serve others and is a seeker of knowledge. It was a fun chat, one in which I hope you all enjoy!

This was another fun one with the one and only Marisa! This episode is filled with some great stuff. We talked about so many things but in the end, the central seemed to flow around the idea of your body keeping score of everything that happens to you, that with each life experience lies a choice, doing the right thing even when it is difficult, being authentic, and most importantly, Marisa grades my health in four different categories and one of the scores I receive is abysmal.  I hope you all enjoy!

About 11 years ago I was working as a strength coach and football coach at a local high school and it was during this time that I met a young Steven Rose. He was an undersized 8th grader with tons of motivation, a great attitude, and endless effort. Over the next four years, I coached him through hundreds of workouts and dozens of football games and none of those attributes he showed as an 8th grader ever changed. Even as an adult, he is still motivated to improve, always has a great attitude, and works hard in whatever it is he does. Steven has spent the past few years working as a strength & conditioning coach working with a variety of clientele. Everything from helping me out with youth camps to working with D1 athletes, Steven's experience covers the full gamut.  During this conversation, we discuss working with high school kids and the value of showing up day after day, the importance of being a generalist before a specialist, how it is our job as a coach to sometimes pull back rather than push harder, that most decisions are not binary (yes or no) but rather multi-variable and most importantly, Steven reminded of something that a coach should always remember: To make the workout the best part of that kids day.  I really enjoyed catching up with Steven and I hope you all do too!

In this episode, I share a story on how I almost fell flat on my face, recap my first five episodes and what I learned from the incredible guests, discuss coffee use, anxiety, upcoming guests and most importantly, I beg for subscribers! Thanks goes to all of those who gave a listen, I hope you have enjoyed the ride so far!

I feel like this was a therapy session for myself as I sat down with my friend Megan Duerring. We met over a decade ago at the now defunct LA Fitness in Easton, PA and have stayed in contact over the years. Our initial conversations centered around her incredible career as a runner that includes way too many records and championships for me to even attempt to write out. Nowadays, we talk about things like staying healthy, parenting, and dealing with whatever it is life seems to throw our way. Megan is a licensed professional counselor and owner of Conceptual Counseling Services in Easton, PA. During our chat, we hit on a bunch of great topics and I will list a few of my favorite. The first is to always plant the seed for positive growth in others as you never know when it may sprout. One act of kindness or checking in on someone may be enough to get that person going in an improved direction. The second is that I appreciate her honesty on everything but can relate to why she does what she does. She wants to be the person her younger self needed. I respect that and feel the same way. Lastly, the main topic of discussion revolved around core values. We all value things and in order to grow, we should identify what they are. When we do this, we can then let our core values drive our decisions on the path of self-improvement. And remember, the dust always settles. Do not change your core values for acceptance into a group because eventually, your true self will shine through! There is so much more here so take a listen and enjoy!

In episode one, I sit down with the person I consider to be my number one: Marisa Mangiameli! Marisa is a certified health coach who does wonderful work with those suffering from auto-immune ailments as well as mothers searching for a little burst of life and energy. Her experiences and story led her down this path of healing and I think it is important to hear for anyone who may be feeling off, have been diagnosed with something that they are struggling to manage, a parent, or anyone else who knows us and wants to see what our banter is like! I hope you enjoy!

"I just want to see what it is like to kill someone" Alarming words out of the mouth of anyone but when you hear an 8 year old say it, it really makes you scratch your head and wonder. There is the old saying that "you are what you eat". In addition to that, I believe you become what you consume. If you take in negative stories or surround yourself with negative people, those traits will start to rub off on you. The inverse of that is also true. If you surround yourself with goodness and positivity, your life will be better. I can promise you that!

If you are anything like me, sometimes you just have a need for speed! In this episode, I share some ideas on how to add sprints into your current training program. There may come a time in your life when you have to move fast. It could be running towards a situation to lend a helping hand or running away from danger in an effort to stay safe. Either way, what gets trained gets improved. Adding speed training into your current program is a fun way to improve your health an increase your capacity to be helpful if the situation presents itself. Before embarking on this journey, keep one thing in mind: everything you do prepares the body for what is coming next. Take the necessary time to get your body ready for sprints by slowly adding intensity and reps each week. Don’t rush it or you may end with a hamstring strain, a back tweak or something worse!

In this episode I share a few topics of discussion that got brought up this week at the gym. Most of these talks revolved around doing the best we can as dads trying to juggle parenting, work, your significant other and all other aspects of life. Topics covered: Going to work is the easy part, raising a child is hard. When you are home, be present Be careful what you value. If it’s expensive things, booze and partying, they will most likely value the same. Choose wisely. Lastly, I share a story about a Kenyan Olympic marathoner who, when asked if his child would follow in his footsteps, he answered quickly NO! They asked why and he said, “My kid doesn’t have to run to school everyday like I did. He gets driven”. No matter how hard you try, you can’t replicate the hardships you may have faced.

When we take an honest look at our lives, our community, our nation, we can see that there are strengths and there are weaknesses. The quickest, most impactful way we can make a change is to raise up our weak points. It is not to tear down our strengths!

In this episode, I share my three biggest takeaways from the hit movie Top Gun: Maverick!

In this episode, I discuss the value of prioritizing free time for our children. In a nation where activities are in abundance, often times kids have less free time to explore their interests than those wearing an orange jump suit. In an effort to combat this, there are three steps we can take to help foster a play enriched environment: 1. Let your child lead play based off their interests 2. Don’t interject when they claim to be bored 3. Show them how to engage in play in the most unstructured way possible

In this episode, I discuss the idea of being physically able to be useful in emergency situations. If a dog is attacking someone, are you able to sprint and offer your hand? If you have to cross a creek to help someone, are you able to balance on the stones to cross and get to them? If you have to help carry a friend who injured their leg, are you going to be able to? These are all questions we don’t think much about until we find ourselves in situations that will require it. In this video, I share a few ideas on how we can all train ourselves to be better equipped to handle any unpredicted situation thrown our way!

In this episode, I discuss a parenting topic that came up recently with a local business owner. When you have a child, there is one thing to keep in mind: Something has to give. It may be your work schedule, it may be your “drinks with the boys”, or it may be that hobby you absolutely love doing. There is only so much time in the day and something’s gotta give. I meet a lot of parents and they always discuss how fast kids grow up and that they miss having theirs around. I have yet to meet someone who said “I wish I didn’t spend so much time with my children”.