Escape Your Limits & LIFTS

Over 900 episodes and one million downloads per month are impressive figures by anyone's standards. If that wasn't enough, with over 20 million views on YouTube, Mind Pump is a broadcast that's changing the fitness industry and bridging the gap between education and entertainment. Meet Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews, Doug Egge of Mind Pump Media. Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews and Doug Egge have decades of combined fitness experience as personal trainers, club managers, IFBB competitors and fitness thought leaders. They started as PTs in 24 Hour Fitness under Mark Mastrov, instilling successful business ideals and the mindset needed to make it as an entrepreneur. Their podcast is a seamless blend of education and entertainment, with combined experience of the trio of hosts. Mind Pump started in the days where podcasts weren't known by the masses. Today, the market has become more competitive and they're standing out above the rest with a first class studio and an authenticity that's rarely matched in fitness. With over 900 episodes and one million downloads per month, the Mind Pump team is leading the way with one of the fitness industry's most provocative podcasts. Mind Pump is an online radio show/podcast that has been described as Howard Stern meets fitness. It is sometimes raw, sometimes shocking and is always entertaining and informative. The hosts, Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer and Justin Andrews have over 40 years of combined fitness experience as personal trainers, club managers, IFBB competitors and fitness thought leaders. Episode highlights - How education combined with entertainment will continue to stand out above many other marketing efforts and business models, so long as it's backed by authenticity. The importance of communication – why there are so many people who can communicate well but have terrible information, or those that know great insights but can't share the knowledge effectively. Investment and how collaboration will do much better than the results of anyone going it alone in most cases. How your business venture needs a very definitive "why" in order to be successful. Which fitness industry business strategies are 'right' or 'wrong' and what marketing is best for whether it's aimed at members, personal training clients, or fitpros. When is the right time to sell once you've built up trust and support for any venture before it becomes a true business. Why flash-in-the-pan marketing isn't working for the fitness industry and why gyms are essentially just trading members instead of bringing new people in. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with the Mind Pump podcast team…

Harley Pasternak has an expansive education in wellbeing and nutrition, with a hunger to know more than anyone else about the science of fitness, movement and more. His dedication and understanding has seen him work with more celebrities in Hollywood than anyone else, with a client list including Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Halle Berry, Katy Perry, Megan Fox, Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys and more. Watch the full episode on YouTube Harley grew up in Canada as an avid hockey player; that's where his life in fitness began. He started reading muscle magazines and looking up to bodybuilders as having the ideal physique, especially in Hollywood with Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Van Damme all regularly featuring in starring roles. It didn't take him long before he began bodybuilding himself and studying the science behind it through degrees in kinesiology, exercise physiology, nutrition, a Master's in exercise physiology and started working on a PhD. Following his education, Harley got recruited by the military and worked under one of the most respected in his field, Dr Ira Jacobs, on how different drugs can benefit special forces teams and their work. It was then he got a call to work for free on a film shoot training Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr and Penélope Cruz. Harley left his booming business in Toronto for the opportunity he couldn't afford to miss. Harley Pasternak is a fitness and nutrition specialist, boasting the largest roster of celebrity clients in the industry. He's worked with the likes of Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Halle Berry, Katy Perry, Megan Fox, Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys and more! A best-selling author, Harley has also starred on Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian and is a regular contributor on Good Morning America. Episode highlights - The five factors of fitness that will change your life for the better – you may already be doing some of them. What's the point in having so much knowledge if you can't share it in a way that people understand? Why you can't be good at everything, so it's important to know what you're not good at. If you don't enjoy something then it's not for you. How you can find motivation for what you do from those that you're working for. Inspiration can come from any direction. Opportunities that will benefit you long term may not make sense to start with, but building on that potential will bring bigger benefits down the line. How you can be thankful for your failures, as they're the best way to learn in the long term. Why catering to the masses will bring you more money, but you've got to get good at the one thing you want to specialise in. How people will pay four times as much for something packaged to suit their needs and perceptions. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Harley Pasternak…

Dave Hancock is a high performance coach with an impressive track record. Through an exhaustive knowledge of the human body and movement, he's worked with some of the most successful athletes, celebrities and businesspeople, such as U2, Daniel Craig, David Beckham, Odell Beckham Jr, England national football team, the New York Knicks, Washington Nationals, Chelsea FC, and more. This episode is a lesson in high performance living. Watch the full episode on YouTube – YouTube Hard work has been instilled in Dave Hancock from his parents. Through paper rounds, washing cars and working behind bars, effort brought Dave respect for the money that he'd earned. Dave has always into fitness and sport. He was injured playing rugby to a high standard. From this, he saw a physio at a club and began taking an interest in helping others. For work experience after school, Dave attended an RAF rehabilitation centre and saw how they rehabilitated soldiers coming back from serious injuries – he was hooked. He studied hard for his qualifications, earned his stripes working in hospitals and perused a career working in sport. After building on his skills, he went for a successful four-day interview with Wolverhampton Wanderers football / soccer club, and started his professional career. Further success followed as he ventured Leeds United, and Chelsea, where his success story really took off before he travelled to America to be the performance director for New York Knicks basketball team. In everything he's done, the focus has been on health, fitness, nutrition, performance and development, even when designing the training facilities themselves. As a high performance coach, Dave Hancock specialises in rehabilitation, manual therapy, sports analysis of both training sessions and matches, injury prevention and more. Whether managing director of a physio/rehab centre chain or consultant for the top sports teams, Dave knows when to advise and when to recommend someone in another area of expertise. Most recently, Dave has taken up the role of CEO of Apollo, a complete sports data management system that's fully adaptable by the user. Schedules, rehab, workouts, game video, drawings and more can be sent directly to athletes via an interactive platform for both Apple and Android. Apollo is changing the way that people look at data and how it can support a team's performance. Episode highlights - Why you need to think laterally and learn from sources that may not be traditionally accepted in your industry or profession. Why you have to change the landscape of where you are to stay at the top of what you do. What the work ethic is like for top-level celebrities that want to stay the biggest names in their respective fields. Tips on mindset and how to overcome any challenge when it comes to your competition. The difference between perceptions of being gifted compared to the hard work and the foundations that people put in to being as good as they can be. How talent and hard work from individuals contributes towards successful and effective teamwork, and what leaders can do to bring the best out of their people. Why mindset is so important and influential in everything you do when it comes to interaction, respect and results. The psychology of sport and how the same approach can be implemented in business. Why love, praise and support is so important to get the best out of people, especially when they fail. How Lady Gaga is the perfect model for diversifying talent, using it in different ways and maintaining success. Why you have to keep a lighthearted approach with everything you do, especially when dealing with the dynamics of a team in business. There has to be a release valve to the pressure of a hard working environment. What's the difference between a survivor and an innovator in business, and which one is more valuable to long-term progress? Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Dave Hancock…

Positivity is paramount when it comes to defeating self-doubt and fear. Our guest knows how to bring out the best in anyone. In this episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, founder CEO of Mi365 and motivational speaker, Pete Cohen, delivers truth after truth to not only change the fitness industry, but change the world and create a revolution that will better the lives of us all. Watch the full episode on YouTube Pete Cohen started out in the fitness industry as a fitness instructor, aerobics instructor and personal trainer. He then became manager of the largest gym in Europe at the time. Pete loved fitness but became disillusioned with the industry because people sign up to gyms despite not enjoying exercise. To find a way of understanding members, Pete ventured into studying psychology in order to better influence behavioural change, confidence, believe and will power, but found that the industry wasn't as open to evolution. Instead he concentrated on making change where he could. Sadly, his wife got diagnosed with a very aggressive brain tumour. Although she was given 18 months to live, Pete used their collective persistence and connections to find a solution – a treatment in America that cost $200,000 and nutritional support that followed – that worked. Today he speaks of how we can all achieve greatness when faced with adversity. Now, his goal is to help people take the lead with their lives, their relationships and their work, removing blame culture and create a revolution of wellness. Pete Cohen is one of the world's leading keynote speakers. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world have been motivated and inspired by Pete's presentations. He's also authored books around the world, made countless television appearances and motivated sports teams such as Arsenal football club to reach peak performance. Coaching business leaders, executives, corporate teams and sporting stars to achieve their best, Pete also excels at keynote presentations and inspires his audiences to think outside the box, believe in themselves and get motivated to take positive actions. He has worked with companies such as IBM, Boots, Pfizer, Robert Half International, BAA, Royal Bank of Scotland, Boehringer Ingelheim and Thomas Cook. Pete's interactive style is fun, thought provoking and leaves a lasting impression. Episode highlights: Who is the fitness industry benefitting? Is it only interested in people that like to exercise, and how can it facilitate the needs of people who don't exercise? Why we need to treat people in fitness like the health industry treats people that need medicine. Ways in which the fitness experience is more about feeling that someone cares, rather than just about the lights, the music and the equipment. How humans share a similar DNA structure to mushrooms and why you'll be hearing a lot more about adaptogens in the near future. Why facing the worst news only brings out the best in you and helps you to realise how much you can achieve. Why vision boards don't work, and how you can be motivated to act instead of just looking. How you can plan based on a WOOP – wish, outcome, obstacles, plan. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Pete Cohen…

Larry Nolan is the CEO Hardcore Fitness Gyms, founded in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where there are more gyms per square mile than any other city in the United States. Larry is also creator of Hardcore Nutrition supplements and host of the Go Hard podcast; he's all about being real to his clients and adding value wherever he can. This episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast is a lesson in risk for reward, overcoming adversity and always staying true to your customers. Watch the full episode on YouTube At 16, Larry Nolan got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and Raynaud's phenomenon, a circulatory condition. Doctors told him that he couldn't work out. Through a passion for fitness and the rebellious nature of being young, he got back to exercising anyway. He soon found that, for him, working out and understanding the importance of rest periods could combat the symptoms of his conditions. Through his own experiences, Larry found passion in personal training to help others appreciate what their own bodies can do. He started a career training as a profession with 24 Hour Fitness and worked through all the areas of gyms in corporate America, whether it was training, sales, and more – the fundamentals of setting up a gym, management and the benefits of being around great talent, but the but the business side of training killed his passion for fitness. Starting his own group fitness initiative training clients in a local park, eventually Larry sacrificed everything to invest in an indoor space, even giving up his first holiday with his wife after years together. Fuelled every day with hard work to create his vision, from physical creation of the space to personal growth with education and earning his place as worthy of the customers he wanted to attract. Larry and Nadia Nolan founded Hardcore Fitness in 2007 in Santa Clarita. Known as the "transformation gym," it's all about motivating and supporting a community, whether a member is an athlete or has never stepped foot in a fitness space. As the crossover between PT and group exercise, Larry and his team focus on the needs of each member, offering energetic classes and facilities or resources for weight training, cardio, core, nutrition, motivation and accountability. With 18 locations now open, Hardcore Fitness is also recruiting for franchise opportunities to further its network. Larry is also creator of Hardcore Nutrition supplements and host of the Go Hard podcast. Episode highlights: How you can overcome mental obstacles such as the fear of competing against other PTs in a huge fitness space. Ways in which, even at a young age, medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Raynaud's can be combatted by working out and planned rest periods. Why internships and networking are vital for experience and understanding, but may scare you as they reveal the side of business that you don't see. It's not all glamour. How adding value for the customer is important to any business, even if it's not necessary. How you can overcome anything, even a bad track record and two felonies, to build a successful business and follow your passion. The importance of every single client, and how they're precious. Understanding the fundamentals of a trainer and what business models you can implement to make the most of their strengths and passions. How to keep going, even when everything is going wrong. Why jealously and hate are such negative results from looking at someone else's success on social media, and how you can translate your reaction into something much more positive. How the finance works out in a successful venture, transitioning from outdoor group training to an indoor fitness space while still adding client value and scaling your business. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Larry Nolan…

Sue Anstiss has a lot of strings to her bow. In addition to her MBE for services to grassroots and women's sport, she's CEO of Promote PR, trustee for the Women's Sport Trust charity, a Women in Fitness Association UK council member and host of The Game Changers podcast. This episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast is a vital lesson in equality, dedication and a lifetime of getting a nation engaged in sport and wellbeing. Watch the full episode on YouTube – YouTube Sue Anstiss studied at Loughborough, graduating in Sports Science and English. After working in sales for Cadbury's, she's since honed her sports sponsorship background, having worked for Gatorade before facing redundancy. Sue set up on her own aged 26, bringing Bupa into the fitness industry along with other contacts she'd developed relationships with through her previous experience. It was the start of a journey of hard work and putting the hours in, striving for perfection in everything she's done. Promote PR, now celebrating 25 years in business, and has proved to be the perfect vehicle for Sue's passion in grassroots sport. Promote PR has been changing behaviour with powerful PR, content and social media for over two decades. Through Sue's initial set-up, the company first concentrated on sport and then the fitness sector before coming back to sport as the mainstay of business. With a strong team, Sue has since evolved the business and its approach for a more effective delivery of everything it does. Promote PR also does work in elite sport but uses those relationships to drive participation. In addition to her work directly with Promote, Sue is also a trustee for the Women's Sport Trust charity, getting more media coverage and funding to women's sport. Giving a lot of voluntary time to projects and campaigns is something that Sue is passionate about. If that wasn't enough, Sue's also host of The Game Changers podcast, dedicated to trailblazing women in sport telling their stories. If you'd like to guest on the podcast with Sue Anstiss, email her on sue.anstiss@promotepr.com Episode highlights - When is the best time to start your entrepreneurial journey? When you're young and have little responsibility, or when you're older and more experienced? Ways in which you can get help to recruit women in a male dominated world, and why you found yourself in that position as a top level male business owner or employee. Why you should call out prejudice and discrimination in order to stop it happening again, and why working for someone else can prevent employees from taking action. Why you need to constantly have a thirst to learn more, and why it's really important for whatever you want to achieve. Why the boutique sector may be giving people the wrong impression of the fitness industry, and how it can negatively affect mental health when it comes to perception. Why the fitness industry is focused on unrealistic behaviour and makes members feel guilty for not using what they pay for, as opposed to inspiring them to engage. The difference between sport and fitness, and how sport can boost confidence whereas fitness in some ways increases self-consciousness. Why you need to think of the things that could come along tomorrow that would negate any benefit that you offer in business. Broaden your offering or know what benefit you'd offer if a disrupter entered the market. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Sue Anstiss MBE…

Dennis Yu is more than just a digital marketer. As CEO of BlitzMetrics, he's built a company contributing to tomorrow's future, partnering with schools to teach young adults. With his experience, they're learning the processes that saw him making $80,000 a day on Facebook ad serving a decade ago and more. Watch the episode on YouTube. Dennis Yu has lived a life of learning. As a child, his father encouraged him to the point where he was doing calculus by the time he was eight years old. Dennis' passion for numbers continued to develop through struggling with English, growing up in a Chinese family. Dennis could communicate better through figures and equations than he could with words. That is, until he studied the Oxford English Dictionary for three hours every day and went on to represent California in the national spelling bee. This drive and determination fuelled his natural entrepreneurial ability, from selling candy and sweets at school to selling traffic and attention online. Through his parents, Dennis got access to some of the first computers. His endless thirst for education meant that he was head and shoulders above others that needed his knowledge. Today, Dennis specialises in digital marketing, Facebook advertising and revenue optimisation while still finding time to host inspirational keynotes and contribute to a multitude of publications. Hear how he embraces his data geek nature to continue an astounding level of personal growth. BlitzMetrics is a digital marketing agency that partners with schools to train young adults on how to drive sales through social media and digital opportunities. Everything that Blitz does is governed by process, meaning that new students can come on board knowing nothing, and learn how to generate leads and revenue for multinational companies. BlitzMetrics is trusted by and has worked with Rosetta Stone, Wall Street Journal, Golden State Warriors, Social Media Examiner, Escape Fitness and more. For more information: https://blitzmetrics.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisyu Episode highlights - How struggle can create a competitive nature to overcome any challenge and excel at something beyond the expectation of others. Facing the complexity of computing that seems very difficult, but can be straight forward if you just trust yourself to dive in and educate yourself. How many entrepreneurial journeys start at school, selling sweets or candy and making a profit through natural business mindset at an early age. How to embrace what you do know and appreciate your own abilities, even if you suffer from imposter syndrome in your job. How social networking started and grew, even 10 years before Facebook had been created. Secrets behind targeted ads, smartphone listening and GPS tracking, even if your phone is in airplane mode, and how AI is getting smarter. Why we hear so much about personal brands and why they're vital to building trust when it comes to business and sales. What is "rational ignorance," how does it help you and why resulting decisions are almost always made based on relationships. What budget you should be allocating to your social advertising budget, and why it isn't going to be as expensive as you think to test ideas that work. What we'll see in the future for digital opportunities and technological developments. How your service or offering has to be driven through morality and ethics, and why anything else isn't sustainable online. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Dennis Yu…

Jason Worthy, president of Life Fitness, has lived the life of both an entrepreneur and executive. Now, his 20 years of fitness experience have led him to the top of the biggest fitness company in the world. This episode of Escape Your Limits is a lesson in staying relevant and keeping your finger on the pulse of fitness market trends. Watch the full episode on YouTube Jason Worthy grew up in the UK with hardworking parents, the youngest of five children. He discovered an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age, retrieving golf balls and selling them back to golfers. Since then he's always had a desire to work hard and create something from his efforts. Following his education, Jason moved to London to become a fitness instructor and personal trainer with LA Fitness before going it alone. Entrepreneurially, Jason has faced business opportunities that haven't worked out, discovering new strengths as a result. He has learned how to deal with failure, rejection and how to be resilient. Climbing the ladder of success at the biggest fitness company in the world before moving to the US, Jason Worthy couldn't be more proud with the position he's in as president of Life Fitness today. Life Fitness' purpose is to inspire healthier lives. The Life Fitness family of brands encourages a full spectrum of active lifestyles, ranging from the traditional fitness options provided by Life Fitness, Hammer Strength, Cybex and ICG, activity for older adults and those in rehabilitation offered by SCIFIT, and the casual active pursuits inspired by Brunswick Billiards. Headquartered outside Chicago, in Rosemont, Illinois, Life Fitness is a division of Brunswick Corporation. Episode highlights - Reasons why staying calm is a leadership quality that's often overlooked, and why it's one of the most important skills to remember. Why it's important to learn from your mistakes and how they help teach you about yourself to grow in the future. The importance of a morning routine to help you collect your thoughts and own the day. How long it takes to own a job after coming into a new role or starting a new venture. Why you should force yourself to make the difficult positions, including acknowledging your weaknesses in business and how you can get the skills to overcome them. Understanding how unwavering belief and positive mindset can get you much further than intelligence or conventional education alone. How surrounding yourself with progressive and even aggressive people when it comes to business will progress you and the company further, so long as you're all pushing in the right direction. Set a clear vision and take your message forward. How to hire people that "get it." Find out if potential employees can get behind the "why" of the company, and then everything cascades down from there. Ways in which you can deal with internal politics and positioning in a positive way. Overcome negativity and work with those that question what you're doing and think they can do it better. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Jason Worthy…

An A-list master trainer, author and lifestyle consultant, Ashley Borden has faced both personal and professional challenges in her life to overcome them all and forge an incredible entrepreneurial career for the benefit of others. From a teenager with eating disorders, she's recovered to push her clients with understanding and empathy. It's a list that's included Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Reese Witherspoon, Rumer Willis, and she's also appeared on TV show Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian. In this episode, we learn how it's never too late to create the best version of you. Watch the full episode on YouTube Ashley Borden grew up in fitness. Her mother owned health food stores, while her father owned sporting stores. Both parents were into fitness so Ashley grew up around movement and an understanding of wellbeing, but she was a dancer at heart. She suffered with eating disorders in her teenage years – compulsive exercise, compulsive eating, anorexia, bulimia – and overcame them through treatment and a change of perspective. Ashley wanted to learn how to move properly and be more athletic. After discovering how to do this, she felt the need to help others achieve the same understanding of how to have a good relationship with their own bodies. It didn't take long for her to create her career through doing what worked for her and clients she was instructing. Ashley Borden is a fitness and lifestyle consultant for some of Hollywood's most famous faces, publications and television shows. She's incredibly driven and goal focused. Ashley created her own space within the fitness industry, having overcome personal struggles and passed on this experience and these insights on to her clients. With over 40,000 hours of personal training experience, Ashley is also a published author and has appeared on television programmes such as Revenge Body with Khloé Kardashian. She has trained the likes of Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Reese Witherspoon and more. For more information visit ashleyborden.com Episode highlights - Learning how conventional career paths don't have to be the only route to success. Ashley forged her own education through hiring and learning from others. The importance of removing any negative speak when referring to yourself or thinking about your body. How to ensure you keep your self respect when it comes to picking which clients to keep or which to stop working with, and how to avoid negativity. Why it's important to remove personal relationships with your clients to avoid any negative association through a lack of boundaries. When to know if something's too much to do on your own, and why you might have to hold off on potential plans instead of struggling to cope. Why following a fitness programme is so important and how strength training is so important to anyone wishing to achieve their goals. How to monetize opportunity by looking at the bigger picture as a platform, for things like television appearances or segments in other media outlets. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Ashley Borden…

As an aspiring bodybuilder in Birmingham, Dorian "the Shadow" Yates never thought he'd compete at the level of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, Frank Zane and other Mr Olympia winners. That attitude soon changed with success, winning Mr Olympia six consecutive times. His is a story of confidence, determination and belief that we can all learn from for anything that we do. Watch the full episode on YouTube Dorian Yates had his sights on becoming British Champion in bodybuilding. Little did he know he'd be placed among the greats such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, Frank Zane and other Mr Olympia muscle icons. Dorian lived in the countryside, losing his father when he was quite young. He moved and grew up in Birmingham before his mum decided to leave and he wanted to stay, aged 16. He got into a bit of trouble as a teenager and was sent to a detention centre, but it was here where he cemented his love for hard physical exercise. Always wanted to gain new experiences and travel around the world. Since winning the Mr Olympia bodybuilding competitions six times, he's done that and so much more. Today he speaks at promotions, motivational appearances and seminars, explaining what his rise to success has taught him and how his approach has changed since retiring from bodybuilding. Dorian Yates revolutionised bodybuilding by setting new standards in body mass and conditioning. He was the first Mr. Olympia at 250 lbs (265 lbs at his best), presenting an absolutely shredded physique with extremely low body fat and outstandingly high muscle density. DY Nutrition is Dorian's company, including the Shadow Line bodybuilding supplements thatprovide exceptional training performance, with Dorian leading by example through years of Mr. Olympia experience. Dorian also hosts and runs high intensity training certification sessions for Master Trainers, to pass on his work ethic and methodology to personal trainers around the world. For more information visit http://dy-hit.com/ Episode highlights How your basic personality is influenced by genetics as well as your environment, and how this leads to your level of drive and determination in anything you do. The importance of staying humble, as Dorian Yates still lived in a council flat, sleeping on just a mattress, in Birmingham when he was British Champion in bodybuilding. The difference between a body for competing and a body for functional day-to-day activities or enjoyment, and why the two are very different. The benefit of tunnel vision when it comes to being the best in your field. Why we need to get kids from every nation into sports and fitness to turn any potential negative energy into a positive result. Breaking down your "Everest" goal into achievable sections so that you can take each one as it comes without anything seeming impossible. Before long you'll be close to your long term target. How to overcome uncertainty and remain confident, staying honest with yourself about what you can achieve and what you have to do to succeed. Why you should do things that benefit your health, both physical and mental, instead of solely projecting what you want people to think of you – unless they're one and the same. Join Matthew Januszek in conversation with Dorian Yates…