If your mindset runs the show… this episode hands you the remote.

This is for anyone who's ever thought, "I know what to do — so why can't I do it?"

This sit-down with Anna Murphey is one of the best conversations I’ve had about mindset — not just around food or fitness, but the deeper stuff:
How you think, how you react, and how you talk to yourself when things go sideways.

We didn’t just touch on macros or training programs — we dug into the internal patterns that shape everything.

Because your mindset is the program.

And if you’re constantly stuck in all-or-nothing thinking, guilt spirals, or identity labels like “I’m broken” or “I always screw this up”... it doesn’t matter what plan you follow. You’ll sabotage it.

This is about how to stop doing that — with more compassion, better tools, and way less shame.

We get into:

• Why mindset is the missing link in sustainable fat loss
• How emotional eating can be healthy when it’s structured (donuts included)
• The “pause” — what it is, and how it builds self-trust fast
• Identity work: how to stop calling yourself broken and start building someone new
• The link between emotional maturity and long-term success
• Strength training as therapy — and what it teaches you about discomfort
• How to stop moralizing food and start using it for fuel and joy
• What most diets miss about real-life consistency
• Why 80% effort wins over 100% pressure
• What to do when the old version of you won’t let go

This episode will be MASSIVELY helpful for anyone stuck in a mental loop of “why can’t I just get it together?”
​It’s not about working harder — it’s about thinking differently.

Find Anna on Instagram: @commonsense.health

This is a really common misunderstanding people have about powerlifting:
They think it's all about "maxing out" and chasing medals.

But the best powerlifters I know train to be better in life — not just for meets.

In this in-person episode of Whiskey and Barbells, I sat down with my own coach, Kurtis Tallaire — a national-level powerlifter who's been in the game for over a decade, both as an athlete and a coach.

Today, he trains athletes who are crushing international meets.

Kurtis and I take a deeper, practical look at powerlifting principles — not just for competitors, but for the everyday lifter who wants strength that supports their life, their body, and their longevity.

We get into:

• Why powerlifting is a mindset, not just a sport
• How a strong squat looks different from a “textbook” squat
• The right way (and wrong way) to use a weight belt
• Strength training vs. bodybuilding — and why they feel so different
• Progressive overload and why it still works
• How to build strength without obsessing over your 1RM
• Training principles that make workouts feel easier over time
• The importance of sleep and recovery for strength gains
• Specific cues for improving bench, squat, and deadlift
• Core strength tips to protect your back
• My recent competition recap — what I’d do differently

This episode is great if you care about getting stronger for real life — whether you train for performance, health, or just to feel powerful in your body.

Find more from Kurtis on Instagram:​
​@kurtis.t

This episode is for anyone who’s made the same resolution five years in a row.

Most “year-in-review” episodes are a highlight reel.
This one isn’t.

I recorded this episode with no voice, no sleep, low energy — but full honesty.

Instead of shouting out guest names or surface-level takeaways, I focused on the patterns that kept repeating across coaches, therapists, athletes, and everyday people actually trying to change their lives.

We get into the real stuff:
Why resolutions fail, how identity shapes consistency, and what shame-free reflection actually looks like.

It’s also the kickoff to my Real Resolution Challenge — built to help you follow through without burning out.

We get into:

• Why your identity shapes your consistency (more than motivation ever could)
• The problem with vague goals
• How “failure” is actually just information
• Tangible takeaways from 15 expert guests this year
• Details on the Real Resolution Transformation Challenge (with over $1,500 in prizes)

Kevin Driscoll spent years gaining and losing the same 40 pounds.

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Hard training. Hard partying. Restriction. Bingeing. Repeat.

But it wasn’t because of a lack of discipline — it was a lack of identity.

In this episode, Kevin and I unpack how he finally stepped off the dieting roller coaster and into what he calls The Goldilocks Zone — that sweet, sustainable middle ground where fitness supports your life without taking it over.

We talk about the real reason most people can’t stay consistent: it’s not the food or the plan. It’s the story you keep telling yourself.

“I have no discipline.”
“I’m broken.”
“I always screw this up.”

Kevin explains how identity becomes the ceiling — and how to raise it, one small action at a time.

If you’ve ever flipped from “clean eating” to chaos, or punished yourself with workouts to “make up” for food, this one hits home.

We get into:

• Kevin’s own story of binge/restrict and emotional eating
• How identity and self-talk shape long-term success
• Why “just be more disciplined” is trash advice
• The power of neutral thinking for chronic dieters
• How to break the shame loop around food
• Kevin’s 3-phase coaching model: Foundation → Fat Loss → Freedom
• Why perfection is the enemy of real change
• Why coaches need to stop moralizing food
• The Baby Bear Zone: finding a middle ground that actually works
• Kevin’s new challenge: HYROX training and rebuilding a healthy identity

Find Kevin on Instagram: @kpd.fit

Megan Grimord grew up in a house where dieting was the norm and food was loaded with shame.

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By 14, she was stuck in a cycle of restriction, bingeing, and purging — a pattern that followed her into adulthood. But now she finds herself, after having her first child, in the best shape of her life.

In this episode, Megan and I talk about what it takes to heal your relationship with food — especially when you’ve been taught to fear it your whole life.

We unpack how calorie tracking can be a tool for freedom, not control.

How bingeing isn’t always emotional (sometimes it’s just your body begging for food). And why intuitive eating alone rarely works without education and accountability.

Then we go deeper into motherhood, postpartum depression, and the massive identity shift that happens when your body changes and your needs come last.

Megan shares her own experience recovering from a C-section while raising a premature newborn with a sick partner and zero sleep. Her advice? Do less, better.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt broken by food, overwhelmed by motherhood, or trapped in a loop of “start over Monday.”

We get into:

• Megan’s recovery from binge/restrict eating
• Why food shame keeps people stuck
• The surprising benefits of macro tracking for emotional eaters
• Why intuitive eating needs structure to work
• How “mom culture” online glorifies burnout and martyrdom
• Simple postpartum recovery tips (that aren’t garbage advice)
• Why “less is more” is the only way forward for most women
• Practical advice for mastering one habit at a time
• Reframing failure as experimentation — not proof you’re broken
• How life transitions can fuel growth, not stall it

Find Megan on Instagram: @megan_grimord

Nancy Griffin spent decades helping women build wealth — not just in dollars, but in confidence, literacy, and legacy.

She founded Women Worth and Wellness in 1994, running financial seminars at golf courses, partnering with hospitals, and helping women understand how their net worth and self-worth are deeply connected.

But over the years, she realized that wealth without well-being wasn’t enough. Too many women were building legacies while burning themselves out.

In this episode, Nancy and I talk about what it really means to live well — especially for women who’ve been taught to survive, serve, and stay quiet.

She shares her journey from breaking barriers at Procter & Gamble to launching a 31-year-old brand dedicated to women’s empowerment, financial literacy, and health advocacy.

This isn’t a “lean in” pep talk. It’s a deep, grounded conversation about leadership, legacy, and why women need to stop apologizing for taking care of themselves.

We get into:

• Nancy’s shift from corporate exec to women’s wellness leader
• Why women need to stop putting themselves last
• The power of delegation (yes, someone else can do the dishes)
• Gratitude as a mental redirect — not just a feeling
• Reframing “balance” as priorities, not perfection
• The worthiness gap: why so many women feel undeserving of rest
• How to use health + wealth planning to protect your future
• The cultural shift from survival to self-ownership
• Why leadership requires integrity — not intensity
• Nancy’s dream for a “Worthy Tour” that spans generations

Learn more from Nancy:

Website: https://womenworthwellness.com

Becky Kiado gained 80 lbs during her first pregnancy — and spent years trying every diet, challenge, and “clean eating” rule out there.

Eventually, her body couldn’t keep up. She was sore all the time, exhausted, and constantly hungry.

So she did something different: she stopped listening to the noise and learned the science.

Now, she helps women over 40 lose fat and build muscle — without starving, obsessing, or doing two-a-days on 1,200 calories.

In this episode, we talk about breaking generational patterns, building sustainable habits, and how self-care becomes non-negotiable once you realize your kids are watching.

Becky is the founder of Leveling Up Midlife, and she’s walking proof that strength, science, and self-respect will take you further than any diet ever will.

We get into:

• Becky’s 60 lb transformation through perimenopause
• How motherhood shaped her views on self-care and health
• Breaking generational patterns of obesity and self-neglect
• Why most people don’t need more discipline — they need better systems
• The truth about HIIT, 75 Hard, and punishment culture
• Debunking organic food myths and “clean eating” advice
• The evolution of fitness info online — and how to filter the noise
• GLP-1 medications like semaglutide
• How to build your last fat-loss plan — one that actually sticks
• The real markers of success: confidence, strength, and freedom

Find more from Becky:

Website: https://levelingupmidlife.com/

Instagram: @levelingupmidlife

Cameron Sparks lost 60 pounds by the time he was 14 — from 220 to 150.

Most people would call that a success.

But he didn't feel successful. Or stronger. Or more confident.

In this episode, Cameron and I unpack what happens after the weight loss — especially when it happens young, and without strength training, support, or a deeper sense of "why."

He shares how his body changed, his confidence tanked, and how he eventually rebuilt his body and his mind.

Today, Cameron is an in-person and online personal trainer who focuses on helping newbies get comfortable at the gym when it feels like a scary place.

We get into:

• How Cameron went from 220 to 150 lbs at age 14
• Why losing weight didn’t fix his confidence — and what eventually did
• The emotional side of fitness no one talks about
• Body dysmorphia in men (and in coaches)
• How to support beginners without overwhelming them
• Why “discipline” isn’t a forever thing — especially for new lifters
• When to educate clients, and when to just help them move
• Why mobility is a missing piece in most strength programs
• How coaches can meet people where they are — not where they should be
• The surprising courage it takes to start when you feel completely lost

Find more from Cameron
On Instagram @cameronsparksfitness