In this episode of the Strong New York Podcast, Kenny takes the show on the road to the LA Fit Expo to sit down with health and wellness legend Mark Sisson.

Mark—New York Times bestselling author, former elite endurance athlete, and founder of Primal Kitchen—shares how injuries from running led him to rethink fitness, nutrition, and footwear, ultimately creating the Primal Blueprint and Primal Kitchen. He breaks down his simple framework for long-term health (diet, walking, lifting, sprinting, and sleep), explains why metabolic flexibility matters, and challenges mainstream nutrition “science.”

We also dive into entrepreneurship, lessons learned building iconic brands, and why Mark launched his minimalist footwear company Peluva to address foot health from the ground up.

00:00 Live from LA Fit Expo: Welcome & Why Fitness Events Matter

00:26 Meet Mark Sisson: Athlete, Entrepreneur & Early Biohacker

01:25 From Running Injuries to Evolutionary Biology (and Building a Career)

02:17 Primal Kitchen Origin Story: Fixing Diet Through Better Sauces

03:33 Facing Rejection: Defending Paleo, Epigenetics & Self-Experimentation

05:55 Science, Money & Nutrition Confusion: Why Mark Stays Non-Dogmatic

07:29 Try Things, Track Results: Awareness, Experimentation & What You’ll Stick To

09:33 Metabolic Flexibility: The Real Goal Behind Any “Best Diet”

10:35 80/20 Fitness Basics: Walk More, Lift, Sprint—Then Decide How Far to Go

11:43 Born to Walk: Why Most People Shouldn’t Run (Injuries, Form & Catabolism)

14:07 Runner’s High Myth & Smarter Training: Cross-Training Over Mileage

16:12 VO2 Max vs Real-World Longevity: Build a Strong, Balanced Hybrid Athlete

17:19 Whatever Happened to America’s Fitness Culture? Setting Up the Bigger Question

17:47 Why We’ve Gotten Softer: Screens, PE, and “Trauma” from Gym Class

18:40 Building Big Businesses: Choosing the Right Idea & Betting on Yourself

20:18 Purpose Over Profit: Mission-Driven Entrepreneurship (Sauces to Footwear)

22:02 Failures That Built the Empire: Pivots, Lessons, and Mark’s Origin Story

23:08 3 Business Non-Negotiables: Team, Capital, and Timing (Plus the Keto/Atkins Lesson)

25:31 The Simple Health Stack: Diet First, Walk More, Lift & Sprint, Then Sleep

26:51 Sprinting Done Right: Intervals, Examples, and Avoiding Injury

28:15 When Endurance Backfires: Overtraining, Heart Health, and How Humans Really Moved

32:28 Training Smarter at 72 + Where to Find Mark (Wrap-Up)

This week, Kenny sits down with Owen Hanson, founder of California Ice Protein, to share a story that defies expectations.

Owen’s journey was anything but traditional. After college, he went from athlete to building an international illegal gambling and drug trafficking operation that spanned continents—before watching it all collapse. Federal prison stripped away the power and the illusion, forcing him to confront every mistake and rebuild from the ground up.

In this episode, Owen opens up about his path from college sports to working with a major Mexican cartel, his time behind bars, and how he ultimately turned his life around. Today, Owen Hanson’s story is one of accountability, resilience, and redemption—proving that no matter how far someone falls, it’s always possible to rise again.

00:00 Welcome + Guest Intro (Cocaine Quarterback to Fitness & Protein)

00:49 From USC Network to Illegal Sports Betting Bookie

01:38 When Betting Goes Mainstream: Legalization & Prison-Time Irony

03:08 First Days in Federal Prison: Fear, Violence & PTSD Triggers

05:18 Prison Politics: Race Cars, Gangs, and Surviving the Yard

06:53 How Ambition Led to the Cartel: International Bets & Money Laundering

08:03 $10M Cash Stash in Australia: Paranoia and the Million-a-Day Pitch

09:57 Losing $3.2M and Meeting the ‘Boss of Bosses’ in Mexico

11:48 Smuggling Innovation: Wine Bottles, Everclear, and Chocolate Pallets

15:41 Life Inside: Routine, Workouts, Cellmates, and Prison Economics

20:56 The California Ice Origin Story: Protein Shake Freezes into ‘Ice Cream’

24:19 Prison Ice Cream Hustle: Rock Salt, Shake-to-Freeze & Super Bowl Payday

25:14 From Halfway House to Big Idea: Launching a Protein Ice Cream Brand

26:19 Frozen Logistics Reality Check: Shipping Ice Cream vs. Shipping Coke

27:45 Fit Expo Momentum & Brand Aesthetic: Building Hype in the Gym Scene

28:18 Finding a Co-Packer After 8 Rejections (and Using the Book as Proof)

29:49 R&D Grind: Perfecting the All-Natural Formula (Greek Yogurt, Monk Fruit, No Added Sugar)

30:35 Family, Sentence Shock & the “Cocaine Quarterback” Name Explained

34:08 Athlete to Cartel to Comeback: Resilience, Mindset Tricks & the Docuseries Tease

37:13 Business Numbers & Product Roadmap: $10M Valuation, New Flavors, Non-Dairy & Collabs

42:04 Closing Message: Helping At-Risk Kids, Inner Circle Support & Where to Find the Brand

On this special bonus episode of The Strong New York Podcast, Kenny Santucci welcomes his youngest guests ever—siblings Love (9) and Legend (7), kids of Anthony and TereZa Lolli from Biohack Yourself Media.

They talk interviewing celebrities, building acting careers, and using their earnings to buy their first real estate property in Florida.

The conversation touches on homeschooling, packed schedules, confidence, handling haters, and being the “lead actor” of your own life—plus their morning biohacking routines, favorite workouts, and what’s next, including blue-light–blocking glasses and a push-up challenge.

00:00 Welcome to the Pod: Meet Love & Legend (Biohack Yourself Kids)

01:09 How They Landed a Lindsay Lohan Interview

02:41 Biohacking, Acting, Journalism… and Buying Real Estate Young

04:04 Big Acting Credits: Robert De Niro & More

05:23 School, Homeschooling, and a Packed Class Schedule

06:43 Screen Time Rules + Why They Avoid Roblox/Fortnite

08:45 Confidence, Communication, and Best Advice from Mom & Dad

13:04 Their Morning Biohack Routine: Cold Plunge, Red Light, Supplements

14:22 Sports & Training (Pickleball, Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu) + Bully Story

16:32 What’s Next: Blue-Light Blocking Glasses, Favorite Subjects, Daily Non-Negotiables

19:49 Big Dreams: Skydiving, Billionaire Goals & Real Estate Plans

21:08 Dealing With Jealousy & Turning Haters Into Motivation

23:36 Workout Talk: Favorite Exercises + Coaching Sit-Ups

25:01 Style & Generation Talk: Nike, Puma, Gen Alpha/Beta

25:54 Advice for Kids: Responsibility, Health Habits & Staying a Kid

28:05 Tomorrow’s Event: Magazine Signing + Push-Up Challenge Hype

29:23 Money & Independence: Buying Property, Taxes, and Learning Early

30:46 School Plans: Skipping Ahead, No College, Unicorn Mindset

31:20 Bullying, Biohacking Explained & 5 Detox Targets

33:29 Finale: Push-Up Demo, Where to Follow Them & Closing Thanks