The Adversity Advantage with Doug Bopst

Today’s guest is Mari Llewellyn. Mari is a popular fitness guru, successful entrepreneur, avid mental health advocate and host of the Pursuit of Wellness podcast. At 250 pounds, Mari hit rock bottom, both mentally and physically. She decided to take ownership of her health and with the help of her now-husband, Greg, she was able to lose 90 pounds and finally find self-love. Mari documented her astonishing mental and physical health journey via her online platforms which garnered her over 2M combined unique followers. She completely transformed her future and has now dedicated her life to help women from all backgrounds reach their full mental and physical potential. Through this mission, she launched Bloom Nutrition which is completely self-funded and grown through her own platforms. Today we talk about Mari’s incredible story from start to finish and break down the steps she took to completely transform her life mentally, emotionally and physically and so much more.   What to Listen For:   01:44 What 3 things helped Mari transform her life? 04:07 Mari hits rock bottom during college 07:42 What is BPD? (borderline personality disorder) 10:31 How did she handle being diagnosed with BPD? 13:15 What has helped Mari manage BPD? 15:55 Not letting her diagnosis define her 17:56 What were the first steps Mari took to change her life? 19:59 Coming off all medication 21:45 Overcoming gym intimidation  24:09 How did Mari begin to transform her health? 27:48 How long did it take her to lose 90 lb? 31:37 The importance of having a “why” 33:47 Does Mari struggle with her self image? 35:16 How to handle weight loss plateaus/setbacks 38:05 Other than fitness what else helps Mari cope with life? 39:46 Why Mari’s marriage is so special 42:37 Her relationship with her family  45:52 The picture that started Mari’s business 49:24 Bloom nutrition (their supplement company) 53:26 What’s next on her healing journey? 55:39 Did Mari ever reach a point where fitness didn’t help her emotionally?   Connect with Mari Instagram Bloom Podcast   Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter       ⚠ WELLNESS DISCLAIMER ⚠ Please be advised; the topics related to mental health in my content are for informational, discussion, and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your current condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard from your favorite creator, on social media, or shared within content you’ve consumed.   If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.   If you do not have a health professional who is able to assist you, use these resources to find help:   Emergency Medical Services—911 If the situation is potentially life-threatening, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day.   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org.    SAMHSA addiction and mental health treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727) and https://www.samhsa.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Stan Efferding who is an IFBB pro bodybuilder and has his bachelor of science in psychology and exercise science from the University of Oregon. Stan is a multiple all -time world record holding powerlifter and has been training high school, Collegiate, and Professional athletes for over 25 years. He has conducted over 200 seminars in 14 countries and in all 50 states. Today Stan and I discuss the biggest mistakes people make when starting any type of health journey. He shares why compliance is the science and what the most successful dieters have in common. Stan reveals a simple step by step guide for weight loss including the types of foods to consume as well as how to determine things like total calories and macronutrients and how to adjust along the way. We also get into the power of walking, how build to muscle in the gym and more!    What to Listen For:   00:00 Intro 01:46 Biggest mistakes people make when starting their health journey 05:42 Traits of the most successful dieters 08:51 Stan’s most meaningful achievement 13:50 Restrictive diets can be problematic 16:39 Why did Stan create the “vertical diet''? 21:01 When does dieting become tricky? 24:19 What to eat for fat loss & how to calculate calories/macros 33:50 Is red meat healthy? 39:30 Adjusting calories after you lose weight 43:08 Why “10 minute walks” are so effective 46:24 How to build muscle in the gym 56:19 Why you should mix things up 1:01:05 How to meal prep 1:06:04 Why do people eat when they aren’t hungry? Episode Resources:   Connect with Stan   Instagram Website YouTube   Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is lifestyle influencer Alyssa Lynch. Alyssa built a massive online platform sharing her love and passion for health and wellness. Today on the show she shares what it’s really like  being an influencer and the difficulties that come along with that. She opens up about her struggles with body obsession, mental health, limiting beliefs and comparison.  We also chat about rebuilding self worth, her advice to people who consume her content, overcoming setbacks and more   What to Listen For:   00:00 Intro 01:29 How to build confidence when going through adversity  04:10 Alyssa hits rock bottom (alone in LA) 09:56 Struggles with body image 13:28 What impact did her childhood have on her? 17:44 Why is she so passionate about mental health? 19:50 Healing her relationship with her body 22:45 Measuring success as an “influencer” 27:28 Are beauty treatments overrated?  31:29 What limiting beliefs does Alyssa have? 34:13 Why was 2022 so challenging for her? 36:37 Dealing with comparison  41:15 How does she maintain integrity? 44:43 Managing anxiety 47:56 What does her wellness routine look like? 49:48 What can someone do if 2022 was a bad year for them?  Episode Resources:   Connect with Alyssa   Instagram TikTok Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Sal Di Stefano. You may know Sal as one of the hosts of the Mind Pump Podcast, a show that exposes the RAW TRUTH about health, fitness, nutrition and more. Sal picked up his first weight at the age of 14. Fitness was a way for him to apply hard work and effort towards changing and re-inventing himself. He wanted to shift the direction of the fitness industry from an aesthetic insecurity based industry to a self love and self care health industry. This is Sal’s third time on the podcast and today we discuss what you must do in order to achieve your health and fitness goals.  But, today’s conversation isn’t all about working out. We dive deep into  the non-physical things that you must do in order to achieve your goals. We discuss behavior change, how to build healthy habits, why self discovery is a non-negotiable and of course we chat about some things you must do in the gym to see results and much more.    What to Listen For:   00:00 Intro 01:41 3 things you should focus on to improve your health in 2023 03:30 Why do most exercise programs fail? (& which is most effective) 06:42 How to effectively set goals 09:52 Discovering the root cause of your motivation 12:13 THIS mindset shift will help you reach your goals 14:42 Don’t fall into this common workout trap 16:37 The importance of strength training 19:59 Don’t be hyper focused on weight loss 22:09 Expect to hit speed bumps along the way 24:43 Improving your health is a journey 34:09 Tips for practicing patience 38:37 What to do when you hit a plateau 40:40 Liver King (& who you should follow online) 45:43 The “processed food of fitness” 48:11 How to lose belly fat 53:26 Sal’s goals for 2023 Episode Resources:   Connect with Sal   Instagram Website Twitter Podcast Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Sara Kuburic. Sara is an existential psychotherapist and many of you know her as @millennial.therapist on Instagram and this is her third time on the podcast. Sara is also a writer as well as a columnist for USA Today. I know I've said this before, but what I love about Sara’s content is that she takes complex issues that can be hard to talk about such as mental health, relationships, and dating and creates content around these topics that's easy for people to understand and digest. I think you're really gonna appreciate this episode as we kept it super organic and we covered a lot of ground on dating, relationships and so much more.   What to Listen For:   00:00 Intro 01:32 Hard Relationship Truth #1 02:50 Which relationship needs are your responsibility?  05:19 “The degree of vulnerability dictates the degree of intimacy.” 08:31 Hard Relationship Truth #2 11:08 Why does personal accountability often get overlooked?  14:54 Taking responsibility for your behavior after a breakup 16:48 I’ve been cheated on and we broke up. Now what?  19:35 Sara’s thoughts on monogamy 22:41 Sara and I get personal 26:13 Hard Relationship Truth #3 27:37 How to stop self sabotaging 32:08 Communicating your needs to a potential partner 35:10 Why are so many people single?  39:00 When actions and words are misaligned  42:18 How to identify your “red flags” 44:25 Traits of a “high value partner” 49:02 Mistakes people make when setting boundaries 52:29 Is Blaming your parents helpful? 55:49 When is it time to breakup? 58:05 Do THIS not THAT after a breakup 1:04:54 How to not be so hard on yourself  Episode Resources:   Connect with Sara   Instagram Website Twitter Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Mary Shenouda. Mary is a highly sought-after performance chef and specialist. Her clients include both professional athletes and Hollywood entertainers. Mary works with a team of nutritionists, doctors, physical therapists, and performance technologies to help identify and curate the specific nutritional needs for her diverse roster of high-performing clients.  Shenouda is also the creator and founder of Phat Fudge, a high-performance food line of her own formulation. In our discussion, Mary shares the four super foods that she believes can improve your overall health. We also discuss meal prepping, mental health and so much more.   What to Listen For:   00:00 Intro 01:24 “One person's superfood can be another person's kryptonite.”  03:46 Superfood #1: Black Cumin Seed 08:02 Which setback has helped her the most? 12:26 Why discipline is important when facing adversity 14:58 How did her childhood inspire her passion for cooking? 18:31 Meal prep tips & how to get your food to taste better 22:38 Superfood #2: Bone Broth 25:34 Superfood #3: Mushrooms 28:08 Mary’s “team” approach for helping her clients 31:55 When is it time to get labs done? 34:40 Supplements can’t fix an unhealthy lifestyle 38:15 Building trust with her athletes 40:09 What do her high performing clients have in common? 43:23 Mary’s battle with depression 49:33 Superfood #4: Liver 53:17 Phat Fudge  Episode Resources:   Connect with Mary   Instagram Website Liver Recipe Phat Fudge   Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Zach Bitter. Zach is a professional endurance athlete, coach, and host of Human Performance Outliers Podcast. He has broken multiple World and American Records, won four National Championships, and competed for Team USA three times at the World 100km Championships.Today, I take the convo down a different path and dive deep into the mindset of. And he reveals some of his top tips that you can apply to most anything in life. You often hear life compared to running a race, and after this conversation you will understand why.  We talk about discipline, perseverance, failure, dealing with negative thoughts, setting and achieving goals, and much more.     What to Listen For:   00:00 Intro 01:30 How to destroy negative thoughts 05:15 Transforming limiting beliefs into something positive 07:04 Dealing with failure 09:04 How does he gauge success (even when he doesn’t win) 11:29 How to embrace the process 13:57 Staying focused during a 100 mile race 17:24 Why losing races (or in life) leads to personal growth 19:56 How has running helped his personal life 26:11 What does he do when he feels intimidated? 28:27 What made him want to run 100 miles? 32:20 How does he know when to push through pain? 35:49 Zach’s unexpected setback 41:23 Has he ever felt unprepared? 44:31 What’s next for Zach? 47:48 Do running shoes make a difference?   Episode Resources:   Connect with Zach   Instagram Website Podcast   Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter   DISCLAIMER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Brooke Burke. Brooke is a television host, cancer survivor, entrepreneur, fitness educator, philanthropist, podcaster and women’s health advocate who has been thriving in Hollywood for decades. The title that she holds dearest is being a Mom. Brooke has held numerous successful network television jobs and high-profile brand partnerships. In 2008, Brooke became the champion of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) season 7 which she later parlayed into a co-hosting job that she would hold for eight seasons. Brooke remains one of social media’s “moms to follow” with nearly 4 million dedicated followers. This conversation is about it all. We talk about divorce, healing, fitness, parenting, mom guilt, having faith when life seems hard and more.   What to Listen For:   00:00 Intro 01:26 Why having kids made Brooke more successful 04:19 What does she think of “mom guilt”? 06:41 Helping her kids thrive during adversity 08:30 Have her kids been impacted by what she’s gone through? 11:22 What does she do when life is chaotic? 13:17 Healing from divorce (twice) 16:38 Rebuilding self worth after second divorce 20:39 Breaking free from unhealthy patterns 23:06 Dealing with uncomfortable thoughts 24:54 Body image & external validation 35:01 What does her wellness routine look like? 37:35 How to teach your kids to eat healthy 44:00 Why comparing yourself to others can be beneficial 47:14 What’s next for Brooke?   Connect with Brooke   Instagram Website   Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Bret Johnson. Bret began his career as a Quarterback at UCLA and Michigan State University, and later finished his career in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and a quick stint with the Atlanta Falcons.Now, he continues to apply his love for coaching to his clients and staff. Bret (the other half of Team Johnson and SmartLife Inc.) has built several multimillion-dollar lifestyle companies with his wife Chalene, and has taught countless others how to do the same. But, there’s another side of the story you may not be familiar with. Bret had a crippling gambling addiction years ago that went untold for some time. When it was all said and done Bret (and Chalene) had accumulated $500k in debt due to Bret’s addiction. After hitting rock bottom, Bret transformed his life, paid off the debt and the rest is history.  He is here to tell you the complete story from start to finish and more.    What to Listen For:   00:00 Intro 01:16 How did Bret’s gambling addiction start? 05:04 Why the NFL wouldn’t have stopped his addiction 07:18 A day in the life of a gambling addict 10:22 Chalene catches Bret 13:27 Bret’s “all or nothing” mentality 16:06 3 ways to deal with an addict that you love 17:45 Paying off $500k in debt 22:03 Rebuilding trust with Chalene 24:35 Having a healthy “money mindset” 27:00 How to take a cheap family vacation while paying off debt 29:11 Bret’s process for building wealth 32:21 He spends his money on THESE two things 34:24 How therapy has helped their kids 37:55 Bret’s love for fitness 41:20 Why schools should teach financial literacy  47:10 The importance of having financial goals early on 50:13 What does Bret teach in his course? Episode Resources:   Connect with Bret   Instagram   Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter   ***Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Dr. Christopher M. Palmer. Dr. Palmer is a Harvard psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health. He is the director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For more than two decades, he has held leadership roles in psychiatric education at Harvard, McLean Hospital, and nationally. He spent more than fifteen years conducting neuroscience research in the areas of substance use and sleep disorders. Most recently, he has developed the first comprehensive theory of what causes mental illness, integrating biological, psychological, and social research into one unifying theory—the brain energy theory of mental illness. Today on the podcast we discuss Dr. Palmer’s revolutionary new approach to understanding and treating mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and more.    What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 01:50 Difference between a mental state and a mental disorder 06:27 Dealing with mild depression or burnout 09:19 What causes mental illness? 12:41 The relationship between metabolism and mental health 18:04 Treating mild anxiety or depression 21:57 Is there a correlation between obesity and mental health? 24:27 Why do certain people gain weight and others don’t? 27:49 Optimizing serotonin and dopamine 32:15 Is the ketogenic diet a “fad diet”? 34:53 Following a ketogenic diet while also paying attention to overall health 37:40 How metabolic health impacts your nervous system 43:14 Simple steps you can take to improve your mental health 49:08 How do we solve the mental health epidemic?   Connect with Dr. Chris Palmer   Instagram Twitter Website  Brain Energy   Follow me on Social Media: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter         ⚠ WELLNESS DISCLAIMER ⚠ Please be advised; the topics related to mental health in my content are for informational, discussion, and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your current condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard from your favorite creator, on social media, or shared within content you’ve consumed.   If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.   If you do not have a health professional who is able to assist you, use these resources to find help:   Emergency Medical Services—911 If the situation is potentially life-threatening, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day.   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org.    SAMHSA addiction and mental health treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727) and https://www.samhsa.gov   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices