Almog Loven is a professional dancer, teacher and therapist from Israel. He holds a degree in Psychology and Humanities from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he focused on the study of chronic pain and psychological flexibility. He is also a practitioner and international teacher of the Ilan Lev Method. Before Covid hit, he used to give Weightlessness workshops around the world, emphasizing how physical connection to living environments can take movers well beyond their perceived limitiations. Now he's home in Israel, practicing Tai Chi, treating and living. In this conversation Almog discusses his practice of the Ilan Lev Method, and his observations on patterns and predictions.  He talks about the potential limitations of fearing of boredom, and his passion to communicate to people that "you are enough".  He also shares his approach to facilitating workshops, and the offering of different ways to experience the body.  And, he discusses the state of love, and how he tries to send everything that he does in that direction.

Matan Levkowich is a dancer, teacher and graphic designer. In 2015 he founded Movement Lab - a vehicle for movement education, choreographic work and discursive inquiry. His practice is influenced by his enthusiasm for physical and theoretical research and is revolving around the question of how to develop a meaningful relationship with the body-mind. In the last decade, he devoted himself to educate people from all over the globe about better movement and to reflect upon urgent social phenomena through the medium of performance and recently also through his podcast ‘Material for the brain’. His passion for research and discovery drives him daily to expand his understanding and to further develop himself as a human being. https://movementlab.eu/ http://matanlevkowich.com/ In this conversation Matan discusses finding order within, and managing, chaos.  He and Kyle discuss the term "community" and how it is often used as a buzzword, and Matan shares the qualities that he believes to define a community.  He also talks about his passion for communication through movement.  And, shares the experience of "going to all the rivers only to return to the place you were born."  

Jon Yuen is the one writing this bio, and will from this point on continue sharing from a first person perspective. Hi, I’m Jon. I think there’s a lot we can learn from one another, from other cultures, and from other activities. This is a mindset that I do my best to bring into my work - which just so happen to be training. In this conversation, Jon discusses his childhood, and the freedom his parents offered to explore and try all forms of art.  He shares his observations of gym culture, and offers encouragement to step out of the gym.  Jon questions Kyle about whether he has an itch to return to stand-up comedy, and how it influences his practice and teaching.  He also talks about imagination, creativity, giving less specific instructions, and facilitating play.  And, he opens up about his passion for connecting with other teachers with unique perspectives.  

Originally from South Tyrol, Italy, Marion received her dance training at Varium and Iwanson School. As a teacher she has been working in several schools and festivals in Italy, Spain, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Portugal, Poland, India, Germany, USA and Canada a.o at “Deltebre dansa” (Spain), B12 Festival and TanzAHOI (Germany), Circuit-est (Canada), Atlas Festival, Camp In, La Cantera, Encuentros Mutantes (Mexico), Vim Vigor and The Playground New York, Diavolo Company LA, Flow Movement Colorado, Athletic Playground San Francisco (USA), Performact, Lagos Sea Dance and DASS Summer Intensive (Portugal), Marameo, Tanzfabrik, Dock 11, Danceworks, Etage, Seneca, Sozo Visions in Motion, Tanzcompagnie Volkstheater Rostock and Stadttheater Bielefeld, BFZ Nürnberg, Kari-Tanzhaus, Profitraining Freiburg & Leipzig, DancePAT, Tanz s.a.l., Yizong Bagua and Tanzfaktur Köln (Germany), Tanzhaus Zürich and Profitraining Basel (Switzerland), Oliva Dance Project (Italy), Goa Contact Festival and Play Practice Artist Residency (India), Cyrculacje Festival and Sfera Ruchu (Poland), Academy Dancer Russia, Summer for friends and University of dance St. Petersburg (Russia), La Macchine, Espacio Nómada (Costa Rica), Festival Nómada (El Salvador), Guatemala, Descalzinha Danza and Varium (Spain). Marion has collaborated as a dancer with choreographers and companies such as Francisco Córdova in the piece "To be", Stella Zannou in the piece “Strange”, Sonia Rodriguez, performing “Mabel”, ADN-Dialect in the pieces “Zeitzone”, “Urban Shaman and “L’affaire Wettstein”, Stephanie Felber in "Le vide dans l’espace", Eldon Pulak in "The Wetting Party" and as a guestdancer of the Weedance Company. Her solo-work "The Ripe and ruin" and her group-pieces "Big Boys don´t cry", "Shell Shock", "Nefelibata", "Acacia confusA", "Ohne Zwei", "Porzellan-Haus", "Eight" and "Impromptu" have been performed at several international theaters and festivals. In 2014 Marion was part of “EX-IN” In this conversation Marion shares about her class From Inside to Outside, and her various inspirations for the material.  She gives a glimpse into her creative process when developing a solo piece through stories of her recent work.  She also discusses her physical theater workshop, and opens up about regular physical maintenance work she currently explores. And, she talks about the upcoming B12 event in Berlin.  

Mike Fitch is an innovative fitness educator and movement coach with 20 years experience in the fitness industry. He is the Founder/Creator of Animal Flow, a unique ground-based movement program that has certified more than 10,000 fitness professionals in 42 countries.  Mike has also developed multiple other skills-based bodyweight training programs including the Bodyweight Athlete and is a highly sought-after presenter and content contributor. In this conversation, Mike discusses his recent return to teaching weekly classes at Block 1750, and his plan to continue teaching until Animal Flow HQ opens.  He talks about our innate craving for variety and variability, creating space for failure, and welcoming the vision of attainability.  He also opens up about the roots and origins that lead to the creation of the Animal Flow system; ranging from explorations into calisthenics, parkour, circus, and breakdancing. And, Mike and Kyle vibe on their mutual love of the band Tool.  

Anthony is a father, husband, strength & conditioning coach, physical educator, and professional engineer (not-practicing).  He is also the founder of Engineered Bodies Strength & Conditioning and head coach of the Engineered Bodies Weightlifting Club and our Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) program.  He has 15+ years of coaching & teaching experience in Ki-Aikido (martial art), strength & conditioning, and physical education. Anthony is committed to continued education and development and has learned from, and continues to collaborate with, the best teachers, coaches, and therapists from multiple disciplines from all over the world. He brings this knowledge and experience to help challenge and support people of all ages and backgrounds to realize their potential and become the best version of themselves as they work towards their own goals. He is passionate and committed to building a strong, inclusive, and ant-racist community. To facilitate this, he created an Inclusion & Anti-racist, continuing education process for our coaching staff to empower them with the knowledge and tools to ensure an inclusive and safe space for all. In this conversation, Anthony discusses his roots in Ki-Akido, basketball, and engineering.  He shares about his core values, and how they help him navigate all things.  He also talks about being a gym owner amid a pandemic, the changes they've made to stay connected to their community, and the creative elements employed that will likely transcend the pandemic.  And, he opens up about his practice, and how he is addressing challenges he has faced with his knees.  

Tomislav is a former professional dancer and performer, who since 2014 has been part of the development of Ferus Animi // Terra Nova, a movement research collective based in Europe. Ferus Animi's mission statement is to share and disseminate the most up-to-date research from a host of scientific and artistic disciplines, including neuroscience, evolutionary physiology, biomechanics, psychology and philosophy, in a relevant and accessible way, to enrich the practices of their students and collaborators. Tomislav is a current Master of Science student at Trinity LABAN Conservatoire (department of Dance Science) in London, and a graduate of the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, London Contemporary Dance School and the Oxford School of Drama, holding a 1st-class Bachelor of Arts degree. Tomislav's personal practice is influenced by the research, teachings and practices of GrandMaster Tae Yong Lee, Ko Murobushi, Wim Hof, Linda Kapetanea & Jozef Frucek, Professor Gui Arashiro, Mestre Itamar, David Zambrano, Moshé Feldenkrais, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Kristin Linklater, Cameron Shayne, Bruno Caverna, Ido Portal, and the respective writings of Yoshi Oida, Shunryu Suzuku and 'Neuroplastician' Norman Doidge, in addition to academic research through The University of Oxford (Department of Psychiatry/Oxford Mindfulness Centre), The Buddhist Society, Royal Holloway University of London, England Rugby (RFU), Barça Universitas (Department of Sports Neuroscience) and FC Barcelona. In this rich conversation, Tomislav weaves through a number of thoughts, ideas, and philosophies ranging from an acceptance of not knowing, adaptation to the changes of the modern world, and individual's unique perception of reality.  He talk about developing a range of sensory options and the difference between complicated and complex systems. He also shares his thoughts on imitation, and the role is plays on the road to individual style.  And, he discusses embracing a variety of approaches, discourse, curiosity, and sharing in a non-heirarchical community.

Rod Cooper is owner of The Movement Collective in Newcastle located on the East coast of Australia.  He believes life is a game that we are all playing in our unique way, and he takes responsibility for every move he makes. He shows up to do his best, and uses movement as a tool to grow, play, express and connect.  He loves to support people in developing a feeling of freedom, strength and trust in their bodies. In this conversation Rod tells his story of discovering movement while working as a beer brewer in Vancouver, and his exploration and passion which led him to creating The Movement Collective in Australia.  He shares about the evolution of the years in his personal practice as well as at TMC.  He also discusses his interest in juggling, and his approach to sparking writing ideas.  And, he talks about his recent dive into contemporary dance, and upcoming performance.  

As a surfer, husband, father of two young girls, and a serial entrepreneur, Reis found himself searching for a way to maintain balance in life. After being introduced to the Wim Hof Method, he reignited a mind-body connection that he lost over time and opened up a journey of unlocking his true potential. After a deep exploration of the Wim Hof Method, including two trips to Poland where he summited frozen mountains in sub-zero temperatures wearing only short and learned to love himself again, Reis realize that was really just the tip of the iceberg. The rabbit hole of breathwork and human optimization was blown open. Reis quickly became fascinated by all types of breathwork and began experiencing as many breathing “methods” and schools of breath as possible including studying with some of the leaders in the field like Kasper van der Meulen, Dan Brule, and Brian Mackenzie. Reis now follows a principle-based approach to meet the breather where they are and help to empower them to use the breath as a tool. Reis works privately with clients, including individuals and groups, and also is the co-founder and CEO of a breathwork community called Our Breath Collective. In this conversation, Reis shares about his discovery of, and dive into, the world of breath work.  He speaks about his journey from practicing breath work to facilitating, leading, and teaching.  He also discusses his investigations into different forms of breath work, such as rebirthing.  And he shares about the the creation of Our Breath Collective, and what he envisions for the community's future.  

Ryan Hurst is the head coach and program director for GMB Fitness. With many years of experience in strength and movement coaching, Ryan makes sure that everything we do at GMB puts health first and gets results. He holds black belts in Kendo, Judo, and Shorinji Kempo, a purple belt in BJJ, and practiced 10 years as a competitive gymnast.  He is married with two children and has lived in Japan for over 25 years.   Ryan has devoted his life to coaching others in strength and movement, but always lets his philosophy of “training for a healthy life” lead the way. He is a father to two young children, and the most important thing to him is to be able to play with them without pain or fear of injury. In this conversation, Ryan tells his story of competitive gymnastics, martial arts, and making Japan his home.  He discusses the welcoming of change and keeping things honest.  He also shares about the various injuries he's faced over the years, and how some of those experiences helped plant the seeds for GMB.  And, Ryan and Kyle discuss the difference between learning and being taught.