The Excellence Cartel

Episode 144: PEDs with Braeden Miller Today we were joined by Braeden Miller of Team Miller Elite to discuss the pros, cons, risks, and ranges of PED use in the various categories of physique competition. What are people using? What have we each used? How much? How have our beliefs changed? Balancing risk and reward and accepting the reality of competing is part of the game. How far do you want to take it?

Episode 143: Do You Really Need A Business Coach? Today we invited Andrea Orona on our show who has studied under both "big name" and "small name" mentorships to answer the hottest question in our industry today: Do you really need a business coach? What are you really investing in? What do they do? What do they not do? We talk about building trust, building a brand, and why entrepreneurs choose to enter the fray of ownership and leadership.

Episode 142: The Art of Coaching Brett Bartholomew, performance coach, author, speaker, and owner of The Art of Coaching, joined us today for a really intimate and enlightening conversation on leadership, success, happiness, communication, and the mindset of leaders and those who wish to be led. Are leaders inherently flawed? Is narcissism beneficial in certain situations? How do you find your own voice? How to feel like you've achieved enough? How do "difficult clients," think? All of that and more. You'll love this one.

Episode 141: Ashley Marcum Returns It's been a year since we had Ashley on, the owner of MyoStrength Coaching who first appeared on Episode 102 on our Coaching Spotlight. Ashley recaps her year in business and how her perspectives on marketing, social media, relationship building, and client care have changed, and how investing in her own education has helped her grow.

Episode 140: Unnamed and Untamed Today the hosts of Unnamed and Untamed - Sarah Bishop, Mere Paci, and Sonia Spil joined us for an open Q&A on the differences between male and female coaches, handling different client personalities, and controversies surrounding HRT.

Episode 139: GOOB Today we were joined by John Dorsey, aka "Goob" who has rocked the social media world of fitness through his unrelenting mockery of infamous influencers and other scam artists online. John discusses his coaching business, how he got to become the man behind the stories, and how he has perhaps changed the industry and us all for the better by offering a fresh breath of accountability.

Episode 138: Chatting with Dillon Phaneuf Today our northern neighbor Dillon Phaneuf joined us on the podcast to chat about life and coaching in Canada. Dillon spoke about how he overcame personal struggles to become the coach he is today, and how operating within the Canadian healthcare system led him to alternative resources and thinking to better strategize on complex client cases.

Episode 137: A Chat With The Boston Mass Today we have a special guest - the one and only Jose Raymond, aka "The Boston Mass", aka the guy in charge of Jeffrey Su's hamstring development. Jose spoke about his career in the IFBB and opened up about PED use, training, and decisions he made coming up the ranks since winning the overall at the New Englands as a teen. Reflecting on his 20+ year career as a competitive bodybuilder he only has one regret, but the rest he has made peace with and is glad to have moved on to other projects which serve his purpose now and those around him. --

Episode 136: Should You Diet on Vacation? This is a common question and an undeniable, nagging thought that pops up in the minds of serious competitors and general population clients alike, and depending on your tenure in fitness, coping mechanisms, and perceptions of freedom, you may be tempted to handle your nutrition on vacation with biases. Who should be strict? Who should not? What does "strictness" or "freedom" mean? How should we as coaches guide our clients this summer season? Tune in to find out!

Episode 135: Adrenal Insufficiency with Kristen Gurtowsky Episode 135: Adrenal Insufficiency with Kristen Gurtowsky   Jeff Black's client Kristen Gurtowsky joined us today to discuss adrenal insufficiency from her personal journey and professional perspective as a PA with formal medical training.  800 calorie diets paired with 2 hours of cardio per day are still happening all too often to clients at the hands of coaches who simply haven't been educated yet.  Kristen talks about how she slowly bridged her medical background with the non-Western coaching techniques that her and Jeff employed to turn her adrenals around. www.theexcellencecartel.com