Six Weeks To Fitness

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Meredith Shirk, a health and fitness expert, serial entrepreneur, traveler and small business consultant currently residing in Malibu, California.  Meredith is also a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the Creator and Founder of Svelte Training, a multifaceted approach to obtaining one's optimal lifestyle.  Meredith believes that mental and physical wellbeing are both key pieces of the puzzle that can create the best, most happy version of you.  In 2016 Meredith started to develop Svelte as an online fitness and lifestyle consulting company and from ground zero, she took it to over $400K in sales in less than 12 months. Starting without a list, a real online product, a name or an offer, Meredith molded her business partner and mentors, solidifying herself as an authority in her space.

 Going from physical one on one personal training, trading time for dollars, to utilizing her knowledge and expanding her online influence, Meredith has built her own path to success using a lucrative online business model to scale and leverage her time

Meredith Shirk is a driven and savvy business woman who is now stepping out from behind the curtain to educate, enlighten and empower not just people struggling with their weight, but entrepreneurs looking to bust down the barriers of self-deprecating mindsets and really take hold of their lives.

Direct download: Episode_99_Meredith_Shirk-Svelte_Training.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:58pm EDT

In this Episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by the Detroit Piston’s Tobias Harris. The 6’ 9” forward played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic before joining the Pistons where he is currently the team’s leading scorer. Throughout his five-year career in the NBA, Tobias has remained committed to his mentorship programs, specifically via the Tobias Harris School of Business Basketball Camp.  During the interview, Tobias will discuss his childhood growing up on Long Island, New York to a large family of basketball players.  He will also share his exercise routine in the gym, which includes weight training, calisthenics and more.  Tobias will also discuss how eating a plant-based diet has increased his endurance and stamina on the court.  Tobias is a strong believer in giving back to the community, especially children, which is evident by the work he is doing through his Tobias Harris School of Business Basketball Camp.  This camp not only teaches kids the important skills necessary to compete in the game of basketball, but it exposes kids to other professions as well.  Tobias believes that children should focus on education first and if basketball doesn’t work out, they have other options in their lives.  Tobias not only “talks the talk but he also walks the walk.”

Direct download: Episode_98_Tobias_Harris.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:33pm EDT

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Charity Lynette, Celebrity Fitness Instructor and creator of Curvy Chick Fitness.  During the interview, Charity will discuss what life was like growing up in a small northwestern town to military parents.  Most of Charity Lynette's life she was overweight and although playing High School and college Basketball, she still struggled with her weight. The turning point in her life was the surprising loss of her mom due to unhealthy living. Fueling her choice to start a healthier lifestyle and with her mother in mind, she dedicated her life to helping others do the same, losing over 100 pounds in the process. Since then she has continued to work within Hospitals and Health fairs throughout the country, teaching women that although they all have curves, healthy curves is what matters most.  As a Plus Size Model and Fitness Instructor Charity went through her challenges explaining to those who didn't understand how a Plus Size women could teach fitness, the answer was simply “We all have different body types but as long as we are eating right and exercising, the body will take its course."  Charity is showing the world that just because you’re thin, doesn’t mean you’re fit and just because you have curves doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy.  Charity is a rising star in the fitness industry and she is looking to expand her brand throughout the country.

Charity has been featured in numerous media outlets such as Bustle.com, Hip Hop Weekly, NY Daily News, Abigail Magazine, blackbride.com, Society of Curves, cocoafab.com, Entertainment Scoop, Boston Fitness Magazine, Skinny Minority Blog, Your Tango, Stylish Curves and more.

Direct download: Episode_97_Charity_Lynette.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:55pm EDT

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Caprice O’Bryant, a 24-year old Certified Nutritionist, Personal Trainer and owner of Excuse Free Fitness out of Homewood, Illinois, near Chicago. Caprice has been through the wire, surviving a serious car accident at 14 and learning how to walk again and then surviving a second life threatening car accident a few years later that left her with seizures. At 19, she had a severe seizure that caused her to hit her head on the concrete, resulting in total memory loss. During the interview, Caprice will discuss her road to recovery which started at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where she was encouraged to try yoga.  With an invitation from her father, she began going to the gym.  It was in the gym where glimpses of her future self were shown.  Caprice attributes her ability to turn tragedy into triumph to the love and support of her family and the important role that proper nutrition and exercise plays in her life.  It is through proper nutrition and exercise that Caprice has been able to control her seizures.  Being “seizure free” for the past 2 ½ years, Caprice can now focus on utilizing her knowledge and skills to help improve the health and wellbeing of others through exercise and by creating custom meal plans that encourage healthy eating and appeal to the taste buds as well. Caprice is also a warrior and advocate of Epilepsy awareness. Her motto is, “with Excuse Free Fitness, you can do ALL things”! She is truly a walking miracle, and despite all obstacles, she continues to persevere.  Caprice truly is an amazing young woman, who truly believes in Excuse Free Fitness.

Direct download: Episode_96_Caprice_Obryant.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:05am EDT

In this episode of Six Weeks to Fitness, I am joined by Imani Hakim, best known for her role as Tonya Rock, kid sister to Chris Rock on the very popular sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris”.  On March 10, 2017, Imani will star in the Netflix original Movie “Burning Sands” alongside actress Alfre Woodard.  Although most people decide what career path they want to take after they graduate from high school, Imani Hakim already had developed a strong passion for acting by the tender age of seven and by age 11 she landed her first acting role in Everybody Hates Chris.  During the interview, Imani will discuss how her persistence along with her father’s support and belief in her abilities, helped her land her first role.  She will also discuss in detail her next movie, Burning Sands, which will give you a raw, voyeuristic journey of fraternity pledging through the eyes of one favored pledgee (Trevor Jackson), who is torn between honoring a code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing.  Imani will also discuss what life is like being a young actress in Hollywood auditioning for film and TV roles.  Imani believes that there is no substitute for confidence, believing in yourself and getting paid to do what you love to do.  Imani will also discuss her exercise routine and the important role nutrition plays in her life. 

Direct download: Episode_95_-_Imani_Hakim.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:54pm EDT

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Dr. Phoenyx Austin, founder of the Fit Beauty Shop, creator of Dr. Phoenyx Nutrition, best-selling author of “If You Love It, It Will Grow – A Guide to Healthy, Beautiful Natural Hair”, and communications consultant. Dr. Phoenyx specializes in providing nutrition products and practical tips to help women achieve a fit, healthy and beautiful body from the inside out! She is highly respected for her expertise in both fitness and nutrition, as well as her passion for entrepreneurship and making healthy living fun.  Dr. Phoenyx has been featured in many major publications and has served as an on-air health/fitness expert on networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, NewsOne Now and Radio One. Although Dr. Phoenyx is a medical doctor and has served in the U.S. Air Force as a physician, Dr. Phoenyx stated in the interview that she was not taught nutrition in school; instead, she learned how to treat disease with medication after you became sick.  It wasn’t until after medical school that Dr. Phoenyx immersed herself into fitness and nutrition and became an expert in the field and is now sharing her expertise with the world as a speaker, consultant and entrepreneur.  You can find out more about Dr. Phoenyx by visiting www.drphoenyx.com.

Direct download: Episode_94_-_Dr._Phoenix_Austin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:38pm EDT

In this Episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by actress Rachel Currence, who played Sharmari Fears, the wife of Ronnie Devoe in the BET Blockbuster hit “The New Edition Story”.  During the interview, Rachel will share what it was like working with the other cast members, which included Fox TV show Empire’s "Bryshere Y. Gray" and other outstanding young actors.  Rachel will also talk about what life was like growing up in San Diego, California, being the youngest of 4 siblings, starting out in beauty pageants and winning many titles, one including LITTLE MISS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, which placed her in many parades, charity events and the local newspaper, which, thanks to her mother, started her out on the road to becoming an actress.  Rachel will also discuss the importance of drive, persistence and focus to achieving your goals in acting and how staying true to her diet is the key to her health and wellbeing.  When Rachel isn’t acting, she enjoys investing in Real Estate. Rachel is a rising star and true entrepreneur in every sense of the word.

Direct download: Episode_93_-_Rachel_Currence.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:45pm EDT

In this episode of Six Weeks to Fitness, I am joined by Theresa Wells (Coach Wells), owner of Tone At Home Fitness, A mobile fitness training support company out of San Diego, California.  Coach Wells holds multiple certifications as a Group Fitness instructor, Zumba instructor, Boot Camp instructor and Insanity® (Beachbody) fitness instructor.  She is also a Running and Nutrition Coach.  Coach Wells is a graduate of both the University of California at San Diego, (UCSD) and the University of San Diego (USD), she earned her B.A. in Urban Studies and Planning with an emphasis in Education and Community Dynamics and Later obtained a Masters in School Counseling and PPS Credential.  During the interview Coach Wells will take us on a journey from her youth growing up in San Diego, California where she lived a very active childhood and maintained a successful fitness business until a near tragic car accident occurred in 2016 where she sustained multiple injuries to her body, including a major concussion and short-term memory loss.  She also gained about 30 pounds after the accident.

When doctors told Coach Wells, she will never be able to run again, something she prides herself in doing having run numerous marathons, Coach Wells proved the doctors wrong.  Today, Coach Wells is almost fully recovered and back in the park running and helping her clients get in shape through her one on one training and her Tone At Home Facebook page, which provides exercise, nutrition and weight loss tips. Coach Wells turned near tragedy into triumph and shares her knowledge and wisdom on the importance of exercise and nutrition to achieving fitness goals.  This and much more is in this very informative and inspiring episode.

Direct download: Episode_92_Theresa_Wells.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:23pm EDT

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Tom Bilyeu, co-founder of the 2014 Inc. 500 company, Quest Nutrition — a unicorn startup valued at over $1 billion — and the co-founder and host of Impact Theory, a first-of-its-kind company designed to facilitate global change through the incubation of mission-based businesses and the cultivation of empowering content. Every piece of content Impact Theory creates is meant to underscore the company mission to free people from “The Matrix” and help them unlock their true potential. During the interview, Tom will take us on a journey from his youth growing up in Tacoma, Washington in a family that struggled with obesity and how this struggle gave him a personal drive to segue into the health and fitness industry and help his loved ones and others like them revolutionize their relationship with food. As it would turn out, this new focus on something deeply personal and passion-based led Tom and his two partners to create Quest Nutrition.

Tom has taken his drive to help people develop the skills they will need to improve themselves and the world even further with his new company, Impact Theory, where he interviews high-profile innovators and thought leaders, such as Tony Robbins, Tim Ferris, Lewis Howes, Lisa Nichols, Michael Strahan and others.  Also, in this episode, Tom talks about the role the mind plays in determining your success and the methods and tools he and his partners used to take their company from zero to one billion dollars in less than 7 years.  This is truly one of my most informative and impactful interviews on health, wealth and success.

Direct download: Episode_91_-_Tom_Bilyeu-Impact_Theory.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:11am EDT

In this episode of our Six Weeks to Fitness podcast, I am joined by Dr. Arabia Mollette, Emergency Physician and Internet TV host out of the South Bronx, in New York City.  At the age of 5, young Arabia envisioned herself becoming a doctor but wasn't sure what kind of doctor she'd become until two tragedies occurred in her life. At 17, she became a teen mom to a precious baby boy, whose life was tragically taken away at four months old. Six years later, her youngest sister was shot and killed while riding in a friend’s car. Both tragedies caused her to question the doctors about their medical explanations, and it sparked a desire for Arabia to make a difference in her community.  During the interview, Dr. Mollette will take us on a journey from her youth up until today, sharing some of the obstacles and challenges she had to overcome and how her belief that she was placed here to fulfill a higher purpose enabled her to realize her dream to becoming an Emergency Physician and offering medical help and advice to people all around the world.  Dr. Arabia has even launched her own podcast called “The Visit with Dr. Arabia Mollette”, where she provides free medical advice, while discussing a variety of topics such as  wellness, mental illness and more with the guests on her show.  This is an amazing story of how a young, African American woman turned tragedy into triumph.

Direct download: Episode_90_-_Part_I.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:59am EDT