The Greg Bennett Show

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by Leighton Phillips - founder of the world-leading, Low-Carb, High Fat nutrition company that supports endurance performance, SFuels. Leighton comes from a long history of healthcare professionals in his family, and he himself studied naturopathic medicine and computer science, and he has an entrepreneurial mindset.   While training for Triathlon and Ultra endurance events, he found that the market for fueling drinks and bars was full of sugar, syrup, and refined grains. With his nutrition training and ultra-endurance racing experience - he knew he could create something better. So after many years of product development, SFuels was born.   SFuels was developed with sports physiologist and world-renowned coach Dr. Dan Plews, Ultramarathon world record holder Zach Bitter, Olympic Triathlon medalist Hayden Wilde and many other world class endurance experts.   Timestamps 2:33 - Greg and Leighton rewind the clock and Leighton explains his early interests and achievements in sport and then onto sport science. Avoid Bonking - Finish Stronger - Reduce Gut Stress 10:00 - After finding a love for sport as a young man, Leighton combined his love for nutrition & natural medicine, his tech skills and knowledge, and mixed it with his entreprenurial mindset to develop his first business in Hong Kong. He tested his first prototype products on himself in 2016 with the aim for helping with inflammation (rather than low-carb) 13:35 - Sports Scientist & IRONMAN® Kona Age Group Record Holder & World Class Coach Dr. Dan Plews got involved with Leighton and they went through 17 iterations of their first nutrition training sports nutrition bar. ... the market for training drinks and bars was full of sugar, syrup and refined grains 21:56 - Greg & Leighton discuss some of the highs and lows Leighton has had in the process of starting and building SFuels. The joy is in the journey ... 25:09 - Leighton is an Ultra-Marathon runner and discusses the various races he has competed in and the challenges of each race. It's one thing for a product to feel good taste good while youre sitting on a couch ... but when youre 6 hours into a ride run, how that thing tastes and it's texture can be quite different, so testing product in those duress situations has been an added bonus for Leighton and his scientific team. Don't forget to check out Any Question and ask Greg Bennett any question you want 28:30 - Leighton explains how they came up with the company name SFuels. 33:29 - When Zach Bitter decided to set the record for a sub 7 minute/mile over 100 miles during COVID lockdowns, Leighton saw it as an opportunity to run the event on social media and get the SFuels name out to the world. 30,000 people watched Zach live running on treadmill. 37:46 - Leighton describes how they were measuring and what improvements they saw in pro athletes and their Fat & Carbohydrate oxidation. The improvements saw athletes improve from 165 watts on the bike ... to 300 watts on the bike. Fat Oxidation x3 improvement - Power x2 improvement 41:22 - Leighton explains the meaning behind the SFuels slogan - Right Fuel - Right Time 45:01 - Not a high performance athlete? Leighton and SFuels definitely have product plans for the day-to-day nutrition customers. Greg & Leighton explain the product range and how you can tap into the benefits. 47:15 - Mitigate Gut Distress. Lower Inflammation Through efficient oxidation of fat for fuel, athletes do NOT need to over-consume sugar in races, mitigating Gut/GI distress and lowering inflammation. Gut repair and recovery 51:53 - The science is still catching up to understand the role of nutrients and how it affects heart rate variability. Taking nutrients to help breakthrough the reserach and help in training and race performance is achievable and very real right now. Sport and application is way ahead of the research Books mentioned: Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson & Kenneth Blanchard Only the Paranoid Survive - Andrew s. Grove 1:01:37 - Interview concludes.   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Leighton Phillips facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SFuelsGoLonger website: https://www.sfuelsgolonger.com instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sfuels.sf youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sfuelslive

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"     In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by Lesley Paterson.   Lesley Paterson is a true inspiration and a powerhouse in every sense of the word.   Lesley is a five-time world Triathlon champion, author, and an award-winning filmmaker having just taken home four Oscars for her film All Quiet on the Western Front.   Lesley's career as an athlete is nothing short of remarkable having won the XTERRA Triathlon World Championships in 2011, 2012, and 2018 and the World Triathlon Cross Championships in 2012 and 2018.   Her film career is astonishing. She co-wrote and was the executive producer for the critically acclaimed film adaptation of the anti-war novel - All Quiet on the Western Front, which took home, as mentioned, Four Oscars from 9 nominations and won the 2022 BAFTA Award for Best film.   Lesley has authored the book, “The Brave Athlete,” with her husband, Dr. Simon Marshall PhD. The book offers so much practical advice and inspiration for anyone looking to improve their mental and physical performance.   Lesley's talent and versatility as an athlete, writer, and filmmaker are truly awe-inspiring.   Timestamps 3:27 - Greg and Lesley discuss the movie All Quiet On The Western Front and understanding the sensibilities in the German culture towards war. Then working with their German Director and co-writer who brought the story to the screen through his own personal knowledge of his heritage. watch the trailer here In Germany there can be no heros in their war films 5:47 - Lesley describes how as a child she read the book in school, and then the 16 year journey from her first decision to create a modern adaptation, to finally seeing it on the big screen. 11:03 - Greg & Lesley chat about the award season in Hollywood and Lesley's experience and memories from what has been a whirlwind journey these past few years, culminating in 4 Oscars. You get to the top by being absolutely obsessed in your craft 14:45 - After the Oscars Lesley was so disappointed with not receiving the award for Best Adapted Film. She describes her feelings and emotions and how she has channelled them into her other current projects. You have your pity party, then you get angry, then you're like ... right, this is what I've got to do! 21:25 - Greg & Lesley rewind the clock and discuss her back ground through professional sport and how it led to her film career. I liked to be the little devious one 25:37 - At what point did Lesley Paterson realise that she was pretty good at this triathlon sport, and at what point did she go full-in? I was used to winning at a young age 41:34 - From focussing on her professional triathlon career, to focussing on her screen writing career, Lesley and Greg discuss the highs and lows within her career and how her persistence and hunger to improve has driven her towards the success she is now experiencing. I had my pity party, but I had to do better 46:11 - The structure and stability of her sport and spending hours and hours and hours training for triathlon, allowed Lesley to focus and fund her dream of creating a modern movie adaptation of All Quiet On The Western Front. 48:15 - Just when Netflix approved the concept, COVID hit. After 16 years of dreaming and creating the concept, the script, connecting the team ... Lesley wasn't even allowed on the closed set due to Netflix crew protocols. You've just got to be grateful - I mean, who gets a filmn made right? 53:45 - Greg asks Lesley for her 3 favourite movies of all time. 55:01 - What would Lesley tell her 18 year old self now that she has had all these life experiences? 55:31 - 3 people you would want to have dinner with (nonfamily, living or dead)? 58:57 - Greg & Lesley finish with some rapid fire Q&A.   You can change the course of somebody's life by making a film First job? Out of 10, how cool are you? Who would you want to play a movie of your life? Which decade of music is the best? 1:00:40 - Interview concludes.   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Lesley Paterson Instagram: instagram.com/lesleydoestri Website: http://www.lesleypaterson.com/lesley-paterson/ Twitter: twitter.com/lesleydoestri

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by Tyler Butterfield.   Tyler is an incredible athlete who has accomplished so much in his career. He's a two-time Olympian, having competed in the triathlon event at both the 2004 and 2012 Summer Olympics. He's also an Ironman champion, having won multiple Ironman events throughout his career, and finished multiple times in the top ten at the Hawaiin IM world championships.   His accomplishments don't stop there. He's also spent time as a professional cyclist, racing for Team Slipstream and finishing 11th in the cycling road race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.   Tyler comes from a family of athletes, with his father having competed in rowing at the 1972 Olympics before switching to the marathon and triathlon and his mother being a successful marathon runner. His wife Nikki is also a former professional triathlete.   Timestamps 5:48 - Greg and Tyler discuss the power of the super shoe and how it prolonged his career. 15:14 - Cancun Worlds was a break-through performance for Tyler. He describes how he felt and how it played out. There's no difference between 2nd & 3rd at a World Champs ... you either win, or you don't. 18:44 - Tyler and Greg discuss some of the highs and lows through his sporting career, and what he has learnt from them. 20:24 - Tyler explains how he ands Nikki created their training resume around their family of four children. They're trying to give you a wildcard to the Athens Olympics ... 23:18 - The inspiration to work hard can come from many different influences. Tyler explains how the people he was working with fulltime as a job, became his greatest inspiration to focus on his pro career. The down periods ... that's part-n-parcel of training hard ... 28:36 - Greg & Tyler discuss the changes that he has observed since starting the sport at age 7. 34:35 - What do you have to do to become a great and competitive athlete? Tyler explains. 39:31 - Greg & Tyler discuss his opinion on the IM championships splitting between Kona & Nice. 44:07 - Who Tyler feels is the greatest triathlete of all time? 47:45 - Who are three people you would you want to have dinner with (nonfamily, living or dead)? 48:55 - Greg & Tyler wrap their conversation up with some rapid fire questions and answers. One book you would recommend? Two most-used apps on your phone? Toughest race? First job? Out of 10, how cool are you? Who would you want to play a movie of your life? Which decade of music is the best? Favorite race? Where is somewhere you haven’t been, you’d like to go? Greatest movie of all time? There's nothing like competition to make it the toughest 1:03:28 - Interview concludes.   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Tyler Butterfield Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tybutterfield Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyler.butterfield Twitter: https://twitter.com/TyButterfield

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by Bill Gerber. Bill is a film producer, a movie executive, and a man who has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscapes of modern cinema and music.   He's been behind some of the biggest blockbusters of the past few decades, including Gran Torino, A very long engagement, Grudge Match, L.A. Confidential, Heat, You’ve got mail, The Perfect Storm, and A Star Is Born.   With a career spanning over 30 years, he's been recognized with numerous accolades, including an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture, for “A Star is Born”. Bill's also been instrumental in bringing us some of the most beloved franchises of all time, including the Harry Potter series. But beyond the awards and the box office figures, what truly sets him apart is his unwavering commitment to the craft of filmmaking and all all things entertainment.   Bill is on the AnyQuestion app, where you can ask him your questions and listen to over 100 of his answers.   Timestamps   4:09 - Let's get to know Bill Gerber. Greg and Bill chat through Bill's journey from his early years playing drums in awful bands, to getting into the record business, where he worked with some massive acts from the 80's including DEVO, The Cars, ABC, Scritti Politti and Heaven 17. 13:24 - Bill describes how his parents influenced and shaped his passion for film and music. His dad worked with Sinatra and the Rat Pack, His mum had an infectious love for music, and his god father signed the Beatles to GAC for touring. 17:20 - When his parents split, his dad moved in with a mate named Danny Simon. Two newly separated guys, one is a talent agent, and one is a comedy writer. Danny's brother heard all the stories of the relationship between the two men and wrote a play about them, and called it The Odd Couple. My Dad had a great career 21:02 - Bill transitioned from the music business over to the film business as an executive at Warner Bros. He describes how that went and tells some stories of his time and who he met along this part of his career journey. They were pretty fancy people 25:35 - Bill tells the crazy story about how he organised the deal for one of his first big movies, Reversal of Fortune. A 1990 American drama film adapted from the 1985 book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case. 28:27 - Bill explains when he first met Clint eastwood and how their close friendship developed over several big blockbuster movies together. Movies such as The Rookie, Unforgiven, Perfect World, Space Cowboys, The Bridges of Madison County. Rehearsals? No that's what the first take is for ... 34:28 - Bill & Greg discuss some of the highss of his 30plus career in the music, television and film business. It was Family, Wealth & Health 37:08 - Bill describes some of the lows of his career and how he dealt with his divorce at the time one of his biggest movie successes A Star is Born was happening around him. 50:06 - Greg and Bill discuss the future of films in the streaming world. 51:26 - Bill reveals his top 3 movies of all time and his top 3 bands. 52:35 - Who are Bill Gerber's greatest male and female actors of all time? True story ... I'm with Dirty Harry and James Bond at lunch. 54:09 - What would you tell your 18-year-old self? Three people you would you want to have dinner with (nonfamily, living or dead)? Where do you see yourself in 3 years? 55:50 - Greg and Bill finish with some rapid fire Q&A. One book you would recommend? The Catcher in the Rye: J.D Salinger Two most-used apps on your phone? Who would you want to play a movie of your life? Which decade of music is the best? Where is somewhere you haven’t been, you’d like to go? 1:04:56 - Interview concludes.   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Bill Gerber Website: https://www.gerberpictures.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-gerber Twitter: https://twitter.com/Billygerber

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by Lisa Bentley. Canadian Ironman legend - a living inspiration to all aspiring triathletes out there.   Lisa has won 11 Ironman championships across the globe, including five Australian, three Canadian, two New Zealand, and one German. She’s also finished in the top 10 at the Kona Ironman World Championships six times, with a best placing of 3rd and a 4th, 5th, 2x 6th, and a 9th. Her impressive career also extends to the 70.3 distance, where she's won 11 races and claimed a silver at the IM 70.3 World Championships.   After retiring from her athletic career, she went on to establish a thriving coaching business and served as a team captain at the inaugural Collins Cup in 2021. Her love and passion for triathlon is infectious, and above all, she always has a warm smile.   Timestamps 2:09 - Interview with Lisa begins. 12:56 - Greg and Lisa unpack and retrace her athletic journey to triathlon. Embrace the journey 22:38 - Lisa explains the moment she stepped away from her fulltime job, to become a pro and do sport fulltime. 24:37 - Lisa reflects on highlights in her long and vast career. I was a process oriented athlete 27:35 - Lisa explains in detail the day she placed third in Kona Ironman World Championships in 2006 and how she wanted to quit when it started getting hard. I got into third place ... and I wanted to quit 33:21 - With every high moment in life, there are lows. Lisa describes some of the tougher moments of her triathlon career. 37:25 - Lisa would often decide on a 'theme' for her race day. She decsribes specific races and how she would trick her mind with a theme, and how it allowed her to push herself harder. There's always gonna be bumps in the road ... but you just get it done! 42:37 - Lisa explains her mindset through the transition from professional athlete, to developing her coaching career and TV commentating. If I didn't win - it wasn't the end of the world 44:56 - Greg and Lisa went through the early development of the sport of Triathlon and discuss the changes they have observed in the sport of Triathlon over the past decades. 50:21 - Lisa and Greg chat through her opinion on who is the GOAT triathlete. (reference) Michelli Jones - Jan Frodeno - (Bruce) Caitlyn Jenner 54:58 - Having raced under both structures, Lisa shares her opinion on splitting the Ironman championships between the women's and the men's race. If we're gonna talk about diversity & inclusion then we have to put them all together. 59:17 - Lisa has no regrets in her life, however she explains would advise she would give to her 18 year old self. 1:00:42 - Who would you want to have dinner with (nonfamily, living or dead)? As a long time listner of The Greg Bennett Show, Lisa was prepared for this question ... or was she? 1:02:11 - Lisa describes the next 3 years and what she sees in her future. 1:03:44 - In true tradition, Greg tests Lisa's fast twith fibre with a game of Q&A with these rapid fire. One book you would recommend? Two most-used apps on your phone? First job? Out of 10, how cool are you? Who would you want to play a movie of your life? Which decade of music is the best? Favorite race? Where is somewhere you haven’t been, you’d like to go? Greatest movie of all time? 1:10:10 - Interview concludes.   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Lisa Bentley Website: https://www.lisabentley.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisa_bentley Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisabentley Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_bentley_an_unlikely_champion

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   The Greg Bennett Show has always focussed on high-performance individuals, and these two are two of the best in the world at what they do. In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by Yuriy Timen & Ed Baker. Both of them are world-leading growth experts. They ignite business growth through deep understanding and expertise in key areas such as product development, strategy, market research, organizational development, and so much more.   Ed Baker is a Harvard grad with a Stanford MBA, led International growth at Facebook until they reached 1 billion Monthly Active Users and went public, and then led the growth and product teams at Uber. Ed is now the founder and CEO of AnyQuestion. You can find his previous episodes in episodes 95 and 138.   Yuriy Timen is a seasoned growth expert with experience in building successful growth engines for organizations. Yuriy has a proven track record of success, having led growth at Grammarly for 8 and 1/2 years and contributing to the growth of companies such as Canva, Airtable, Otter.ai, and others. He now advisors some of the world's greatest tech companies. This man knows how to build subscription businesses.   Timestamps 3:29 - Interview with Yuriy & Ed begins. 6:33 - Some back ground on Yuriy and how he found his place in product growth of Facebook. I didn't want to wear a suit to work 17:28 - Yuriy explains some of the lessons he learned at Grammerley, and how he only understood them in hindsight. 23:34 - What are the first steps you do when you advise or strategise growth in a company, and how do you know that the growth startegy is working? For any growth strategy for it to be successful, you have to have an appropriate growth culture 34:21 - Is paid marketing a good way for gowth? 40:03 - For a non profitable early stage company wanting growth, is SEO a good growth strategy in the current environment? 43:44 - What companies should be considering when it comes to fremium v. premium offerings and what is working, and what doesn't work. There's gotta be someway to try the product for free 50:05 - How does A.I affect growth strategies and how can companies embrace it? 54:27 - What parallels do you derive from your 'outside work' life, to your dealing with business and product growth? 1:00:16 - Interview concludes.   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Yuriy Timen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuriytimen/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTimenator

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by Luke McKenzie. An incredible Australian Triathlon legend: a Nine-time Ironman Champion, a narrow second-place finisher at the Kona Ironman World Championships, with a professional Triathlon career that for almost two decades.   Entering the professional scene in the early 2000s, McKenzie was fortunate enough to train and compete alongside Australia’s and the world’s top triathletes of the era including Craig ‘Crowie’ Alexander, Pete Jacobs and Chris McCormack.   McKenzie cut his teeth as a junior athlete, racing amongst the ITU ranks in the early 2000s. It wasn’t long before his talent for triathlon shone through, with McKenzie taking home bronze at the 2001 Edmonton ITU Junior World Championships.   Honing his skills in the ITU ranks on the Continental and World Cup circuits, McKenzie continued to develop as an athlete. Drawn to the world of long course racing in the US, in the early 2000s, McKenzie made the transition over to the Ironman distance where he would forge a successful career, the pinnacle of which being his thrilling second place finish at the 2013 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.   Since retiring, this amazing athlete and his beautiful wife Beth have created an incredible world-leading, high-performance clothing brand and Triathlon community - Wyn Republic and its sister brand Malo Republic. Seeing their dedication and hard work come to fruition is truly inspiring!   Timestamps 2:43 - Interview with Luke begins. 13:02 - Luke & Greg discuss his background and how he originally discovered the sport of triathlon handing out water bottles as a 7 year old boy in regional Australia. it all starts with a dream ... 17:23 - During Luke's later high school years he found his racing was hardening him as a young athlete and got the opportunity the first year out of school to the AIS in France. 25:53 - Luke's first Ironman happened after he had had a solid year of training and racing in the US. He competed in the Busselton, Western Australia Ironman and led to about 30kms and ended up coming in 3rd. 27:17 - When Luke looks back on his career, different races hold memories for different reasons and he explains some of the more memorable and important events in his career. 33:53 - Luke and Greg discus some of his lows within his Ironman career and what lessons he's gained. "If you race like that in Kona, you will win" 36:43 - 2015 was Luke's first ever DNF in Kona. Luke explains the reasons and shares the raw emotion surrounding the event. I felt so shameful for pulling out 40:05 - When going through phases of self-doubt, Luke describes how he could prepare himself mentally and how he could move forward through the lows of his career. 45:04 - Luke explains how he started his company WYN Republic as a side-hustle prior to him retiring from his professional career. Aero dynamics was really starting to come into play in the sport 51:11 - Luke explains some of the lessons he took from his professional athletic career and is utilising within his business and family to this day. 1:03:54 - Question: One piece of advice you'd tell your younger self? 1:04:38 - Who would you want to have dinner with (nonfamily, living or dead)? 1:-5:51 - Where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years? 1:07:24 - Greg and Luke finish up with some rapid fire questions and answers. One book you would recommend? Two most-used apps on your phone? Toughest race? First job? Out of 10, how cool are you? Who would you want to play a movie of your life? Which decade of music is the best? Favorite race? Greatest movie of all time? 1:16:13 - Interview concludes.   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Luke McKenzie "It's time for triathlon apparel to get a makeover. For years, we've struggled to find modern apparel that commanded attention without screaming for it. We longed for technical product innovation combined with stylistic, simplistic, fashion-forward excellence. We couldn't find it, so we decided to make it." Website: https://wynrepublic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imlukemckenzie Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukemckenzie

Show Sponsor   AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg chats with one of the greatest sprinters of all time. One of the greatest Olympians of all time ... Michael Johnson.   The "Fastest Man on Earth".   MJ is the only male athlete in history to win the 200 meters and 400 meters events at the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He is also the only man to successfully defend his Olympic title in the 400 m, having done so at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.   Four times an Olympic champion and eight times a world champion, he piled up a career total of 12 Olympic and World Championship gold medals and world records over both 200 and 400 meters by the time he retired from competition. Over the last 20 years Michael has parlayed his learning from a successful Olympic athlete into success as an entrepreneur, an award winning television commentator, and a speaker and coach sharing the strategies and behaviors required to achieve high performance in business and in life.   Michael accumulated eight gold medals at the World Championships and is tied with Carl Lewis for the fourth most gold medals won by a runner. He was elected to the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004, where his 200 m performance at the 1996 Olympics was named the greatest track and field moment of the last 25 years.   Michael has been a part of the BBC's commentary team for every Olympics since Athens 2004. His content on the AnyQuestion platform is as world-class as his performances on the track. You simply must log-in and listen to his answers.   Born in the Texan city of Dallas on 13 September 1967, Michael Duane Adalbert Adam Johnson was the youngest of five siblings. As a teenager he devoted himself to his studies, with athletics just a regular sideline. Aged 19, he enrolled at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. It was there, in April 1987, that he was spotted by Clyde Hart – the coach who would later take him to the pinnacle of world athletics – as he broke the university 200m record. By then he had already adopted his distinctive running style, characterised by an upright gait and short stride, that would later see him nicknamed “the Duck”.   Starting in 1993, Johnson embarked on an incredible sequence of 58 400m races in which he wentundefeated, and he was soon being hailed as “Superman”. The pinnacle of his track career came on home soil, at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996. 83,000 spectators looked on as Johnson, resplendant in his golden running shoes, completed a remarkable 200m-400m double, an achievement never matched before or since in men’s athletics. His times were remarkable too: 19.32 seconds for the 200m – a world record that stood for 12 years until being broken by Usain Bolt – and 43.49 seconds for the 400m.   On 26 August 1999 in Seville (SPA), Johnson set a new 400m world record of 43.18 seconds which stood until Wayde van Niekerk's amazing performance in Rio 17 years later. In the space of a decade at the top, which culminated in a final Olympic gold in the 400m at Sydney 2000, he amassed a total of eight world and four Olympic titles (never once experiencing the taste of silver or bronze). He retired from competition in 2001 to pursue a successful career as a media pundit, while also managing the career of one of his successors, Jeremy Wariner, who won Olympic gold in the 400m at Athens 2004.   Timestamps   3:26 - Interview with Michael Johnson begins. 5:47 - Michael describes his current fitness reigme. 9:49 - Michael explains how he found his passion for sprinting and athletics. 17:08 - Around the age of 16, Michael started realising that his running was high level. Then Universities started circling and offering scholarships due to his coach at the time, a pivotal moment for young MJ. 20:50 - Greg and Michael discuss his running technique and how his natural method would develop and allow him to set world records. 26:52 - So did MJ feel he was more a 200m, or a 400m athlete? 31:59 - Coach Clyde Hart helped Michael break his race up into the four P's - Push in the first hundred, Pace in the second hundred, Position in the third hundred ... and then Pray in the fourth hundred. No one can sprint the 400 metres all out - NO ONE! 37:34 - Michael describes some his greatest highs through his extensive career. 40:57 - Heading into the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, Michael Johnson was aiming to make history. In 100 years of the Games, no male athlete had ever won gold in both the 200m and 400m events at the same Olympics. If the pressure of achieving something that had never been done before wasn’t enough for Johnson, a choice of clothing had upped the ante even more. His shoes. With a statement-making decision, Johnson had chosen to wear a pair of shiny-bright gold running spikes for the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. 46:04 - As the starting gun fired, Johnson got away cleanly. He led coming out of the bend, having completed the first 100m in 10.12 seconds. But if the first 100m was impressive, the second was simply remarkable. As he cruised across the finish line, metres ahead of his closest rivals, Johnson had not only broken the world record… he had smashed it. His final time was 19.32 seconds, three tenths of a second less than the previous world best and the largest ever improvement on a 200m record. It meant the second half of the race had been run in an unbelievable time of 9.2 seconds - a third of a second faster than Usain Bolt’s current world record of 9.58. 50:11 - Michael describes some of his lowest lows and disappointments in his career and how he mentally dealt with them and moved forward to further success. There's no reason to believe that I'm not going to win 53:18 - Michael explains how he felt around his retirement and how he moved through that journey from professional athlete to the next phase of his life and career I was very fortunate to have achieved all my goals 56:15 - The lads have some fun with some rapid fire questions. 59:29 - Interview concludes.   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Michael Johnson Website: https://www.mj-gold.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjgold4 Twitter: https://twitter.com/MJGold

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg chats with Gina Grain. Gina is an Olympic cyclist, 7-time national champion, and silver medalist at the World Championships and won both the US Pro Road and Track Championships.   Gina has since gone on to expand her education in Kinesiology and earned herself a Masters of Exercise Science (Strength and Conditioning). She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and has trained elite athletes who have competed and medaled at the Olympics (Gold, Silver and 2x Bronze) , Junior World Championships and podiums at the National Championships. She has also helped Masters’ athletes to achieve their goals, such as completing Ironman races, reaching cycling goals and improving their general physical fitness for life.   Despite being told she would never run again after undergoing knee surgery in both knees as a teenager, she trained herself to compete in a 1/2 Ironman at the age of 48 despite having osteoarthritis in both knees.   Gina Grains' content on the AnyQuestion platform is simply brilliant. Do yourself a favour and download the app today - www.anyquestion.com or from the app store.   Timestamps 2:26 - Interview with Gina Grain begins. 7:53 - Greg and Gina discuss her early cycling career. Gina was determined to go to the olympics as a soccer player ... so how did cycling come about? 14:11 - Gina explains her journey to the velodrome and how mountain biking played a significant part to teaching her competitiveness and endurance. Mountain biking taught me to take a 'hit' 18:44 - Gina explains how she felt when she qualified for the Olympics in 2008. 25:20 - Gina explains her highs and lows of her Olympic experience. It could have driven me to give up ... 27:18 - It's hard to have a career without the lows. Knowing that, Gina explains her techniques and tips that helped her work through the moments and environments and taking the learnings from her disappointments and down moments. If I wasn't having fun during this journey, then why am I doing it? 31:22 - Gina describes the transition from retiring from her pro career to retraining and developing her highly successful strength & conditioning coaching career. 36:00 - Gina explains how she gets athletes to buy into strength training. There's no question about the research ... strength training helps improve endurance performance! 40:01 - Gina approaches strength training from a mobility, full core stability, strength and power position and she explains how she incorporates her program into an elite athletes training week. 41:46 - Greg and Gina chat about a typical program and how you can access some of Gina's training methods. https://trainwithgrain.com 45:03 - Gina explains how she was able to train herself to complete an ironman incorporating a half-marathon run, given both her knees are ridden with osteoarthritis since the age of 16. Don't tell the body ... ask the body what you want it to do 51:44 - Do you have bad knees? Gina explains how to get in contact with her directly. Also catch her on the www.AnyQuestion.com platform. 53:04 - What would Gina tell her 18 year old self all these years later? 54:11 - Who would you want to have dinner with (non family, living or dead)? 54:58 - Gina has met true royalty - she tells her story which is both hilarious and proves we must seize the moment when the opportunity presents itself. 1:01:19 - Interview concludes.     Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Gina Grain Website: https://trainwithgrain.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginagrain Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/ginagrain

Show Sponsor AnyQuestion - https://link.anyquestion.com/Greg-Bennett   Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=26936856 "The Greg Bennett Show"   In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg chats with Lauren Goss. A former professional Triathlete for over 12 years, where she won every major race in the USA. And that includes 11 - 70.3 IM titles   The last three years were somewhat of a whirlwind, now a mother of a two-year-old, a Professional runner, and a business entrepreneur operating her Triathlon coaching business, BlackSheep endurance… she truly is inspiring.   Her running career is just getting started with a 15.16 5k, 31.49 10k, 53.10 10miles, 1.09 half marathon on debut, and 2.27.41 marathon also on debut… the skies the limit   Former professional triathlete Lauren Goss’s transition to elite running has been anything but conventional. Lauren retired from competing professionally in 2019, after accepting a six-month suspension for an anti-doping violation after testing positive for THC (the psychoactive component found in marijuana, which she claimed was due to a cannabidiol, or CBD, salve she was using to treat an injury before competing).   Timestamps   2:30 - Interview with Lauren Goss begins Life happens between the miles 4:44 - Greg and Lauren rewind the clock and discuss her athletic journey and how she discovered her passion for triathlon. 7:21 - Lauren discusses her eating disorder challenges through her triathlon career and how she coaches and educates younger athletes around their eating and nutrition. 10:15 - Lauren explians how she made money form the sport of triathlon by focusing on the 'right events' at the 'right time'. I made great money in the sport not being 'that great' 13:51 - When it comes to sponsorship, Elite running is different from Triathlon. Lauren explains her current decision behind not wanting to secure a sponsor. 16:04 - Making a business and career out of being a professional athlete. 18:07 - In her triathlon career Lauren had some amazing highs and some significant lows. She explains some of the wins and her motivation and influences. 20:34 - In 2019 competing in Escape from Alcatraz, Lauren received a 6 month ban for an anti-doping violation after testing positive for THC (the psychoactive component found in marijuana, which she claimed was due to a cannabidiol, or CBD, salve she was using to treat an injury before competing). 27:41 - Becoming a mum has changed Lauren's life and she explains how her perspective has changed and how she manages her anxiety. 31:21 - Lauren explains how she met and encouraged Arild Tveiten – (coach of Kristian Blummenfelt, Gustav Iden and Casper Stornes) to train her remotely. 36:56 - The Norwegians belive in routine and Lauren describes in detail the structure of her exact training week. Pens and pads out - some great tips here! 47:11 - The knowledge that Lauren has gained from her Norwegian coaches is now influencing how she coaches her own local athletes. Lauren explains that the intensity is not suitable for all athletes. 49:00 - Lauren and Greg discuss her difficulty to enter races due to her anti-doping ban, even thought she has completed the 6 month ban. 55:24 - What would Lauren Goss tell her 18-year-old self? 56:46 - What 3 people would you want to have dinner with (nonfamily, living or dead)? 58:25 - Where do you see yourself in 3 years? 1:00:46 - Lauren and Greg finish this chat with some rapid fire questions and answers. What streaming TV show are you currently binging? Two most-used apps on your phone? Toughest race? Out of 10, how cool are you? Who would you want to play a movie of your life? Which decade of music is the best? Favorite race? Where is somewhere you haven’t been, you’d like to go? Greatest movie of all time? What comes easy won’t last and what lasts won’t come easy 1:06:44 - Interview concludes   Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter @GregBennett1 Instagram @GregBennettWorld   And follow Lauren Goss Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurengoss/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lauren_goss