The Hero Up Podcast with Jim Simcoe

Kyle MacBeth and Mike Perry, the married owners of F45 San Rafael join our show today to talk about the launch of their new business. Both Mike and Kyle had successful careers going when they decided in late 2019 to quit their jobs, move to Santa Rosa, CA and open an F45 gym. Their story is a great for anyone considering a major career change as it is both inspiring and hilarious. Kyle and Mike were a married couple living a comfortable life in San Francisco when they decided they were ready to follow their true passion.  They quit their jobs, moved out of the city and opened an F45 gym. Check out the show to see how they did it and learn why passion and courage is sometimes all you need. You’ll also learn how an idea on a beach in Greece started it all. For more on F45 San Rafael check them out on Instagram: f45_training_sanrafael

In times of uncertainty (global pandemic, anyone?) listening to music can be one of the best things you do for yourself. In this episode we attempt to answer the unanswerable question: "Who are the Top 10 Bands of All Time?". Why? Because we all need music right now more than ever. Joining me for this philosophical debate are my two friends Amil and Jack. Recorded late on a Wednesday night this is an unscripted take on the best bands of all-time. Check it out and learn about who made our list and who was left off and why. Sneak peak of bands we discussed: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Van Halen, Prince, Pear Jam, Ramones, Fishbone, Nirvana, Oingo Boingo, Led Zep, Bowie, Beastie Boys, etc... So pour yourself a drink and check out the show! (skip ahead about 2 minutes from the start to get into the actual show)

With coronavirus rapidly spreading throughout the world it is more important than ever to master your mindset. In this episode we talk about the 7 keys to deal with our current world and get through tough times. You'll hear about why controlling the controllable, being a good human and perspective/sleep and exercise are so crucial right now. We'll also talk about the hidden opportunities in the world right now and how to take advantage of them.

Everybody loves a big comeback. We all love the underdog story of someone who miraculously makes a huge comeback, right?  Well that's what we're talking about today- hoe to make a big comeback in your own life. We're talking about my extended absence from the pod, where I've been, what I've learned and how you can apply four lessons to your own life.  If you're ready to make a huge comeback in your life, let's f'ing go...

Want 11 keys to true happiness? Check out the show today and learn how to be truly happy even when you’re stressed out of your mind.  Anyone can be happy when things are going well:)   In today’s podcast Blake and I talk about how to be happy when things aren’t necessarily going your way.     We cover simple lessons (how to start your day, get connected with people who love you) and some out-of-the-box solutions like understanding the difference between stress and worry; being invisible in a crowd (uncommon, yet very effective) and the two factors to combine for ultimate happiness.

The ability to give a great speech or presentation is the arguably the single-most important skill you can master for your career.  So why do people ‘f’ it up so badly?  Probably because they didn’t listen to this podcast:) Most people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying . If you’re one of those people then this show is for you.   Today Blake and I talk about how to master public speaking; everything from preparing correctly to handling anxiety beforehand.  We give you concrete tips on how give the best speech/presentation/toast to your audience and how to deliver your message with the most impact. In this episode you’ll learn: the power of story telling; how to plan for any speech/presentation; what mistakes other speakers make and how to avoid them and how to absolutely crush any speech (even if you hate speaking in public). We dispel common myths (speakers are born, not made) and give you actionable advice (know the crowd, practice, create a story) to help you prepare for any speech.

On the show today we answer the top 20 health and fitness questions from our listeners (and by ‘we’ I mean largely, Blake:). These range from “whats the most effective diet?” ; “What is your go-to healthy dinner?”; What’s a simple workout I can do anywhere?”, etc.  These questions were largely inspired by you, our beloved listeners so thanks for the input!  Check it out, we think you’ll be surprised by some of the answers.

It is virtually impossible to achieve success & happiness in life without a positive self-image. Today on our show we talk about how to create a positive self image and why it’s so crucial to your happiness.   We talk about the common problems people with low self-image have as well as what successful people do to create a positive self-image.  We then give you 8 tools for you to use to create a positive self-image. Check out the show and as always let us know what you think on the site: HeroUpPodcast.com. Much love..Jim

Social anxiety is something almost all of us face (even extroverts) on a regular basis. So today we’re talking about how to deal with it and how to handle social situations of any kind.  Blake and I will give you some tools to combat social anxiety and make any social situation easier.  And for what it’s worth- if you suffer from social anxiety, you’re not alone. We ALL do. Check out the show today and learn how to deal with it.

Today Blake and I talk about the lessons we learned from watching the movie Free Solo. Free Solo is about professional rock climber Alex Honnold who climbs El Captain without any safety ropes.  It’s an amazing feat where a simple slip or fall could cost Alex his life.  We talk about the incredible mental fortitude it takes to climb 3500 feet straight to the sky without ropes. There a lot of lessons for all of us in this story and Blake and I talk about many things we learned from this movie.  This episode is even more interesting considering Blake is a climber and has experience being ‘on the rock’ so to speak.

On today’s podcast Blake and I talk about creating a 30-day vitality challenge for yourself and why you should do it.  We feel that doing a 30-day challenge can be hugely beneficial in numerous ways and we lay out a simple strategy to get it done.  This idea was largely based (ahem, completely stolen) from the recent Vitality Challenge that Blake (and his partner Eric D.)  created and ran at their gym Stratum Fitness.  On the show we talk about the benefits of that challenge, some of the unexpected positive results and how Blake and Eric came up with the idea.  We also talk about how to create your own challenge and give you a template to follow to do on for yourself. Disclaimer: I’ve never done a 30-day challenge and was blown away by how powerful this was for me personally.  It changed a ton in my life and I was amazed by how easy it was to follow and how many unforeseen benefits I experienced (better sleep, better mood, more energy, etc)

Tackling a huge topic today:  The pursuit happiness. Blake and I discuss the 18 keys to living a happier life. These are simple, straightforward tactics you can use right away to make your life happier. We talk about: What makes happy people happy? What can you do right now to be happier? Check out the show and let us know what you think. See below for the list: – Adopt a growth vs fixed mindset – Choose success over perfection – Express gratitude – Avoid overthinking – Avoid comparing yourself to others – Be kind – Handle stress like a badass – Focus on your health – Figure out how to forgive – Strengthen your strengths – Be optimistic – Get in the ‘zone’ (action meets awareness) – Enjoy the ‘little’ things in life – Do work you love (“Do Good, Make Money”) – Help Others – Find meaning in what you do (or do something else) – Slow your role – Get out of shitty relationships

Today Blake and I recap the lessons we learned in 2018 covering all the good, the bad, the ugly and the truly amazing over the past 12 months.  We talk about our personal highlights, our biggest challenges & struggles and what we learned this year.  Some of what we cover: the significance of health; how to deal better with fear, frustration & anger; what we each appreciated about the year; what we learned, etc. Check it out to see if our  experiences mirror yours in any way and hopefully you can learn from our examples. This is the last podcast of 2018 for us. I cannot thank my co-host, Blake Eugene Bender enough for hanging out with me these past episodes.   And for those of you who listen and dig our show, I’m eternally grateful.  You guys f’ing rock…

This episode is a pretty hilarious take on movies and the life lessons we can all learn from them.  Blake and I chat about lessons  from movies like Good Will Hunting, Creed/Rocky, Avatar, Gran Tourino, Forrest Gump, Remember The Titans and SuperBad.  You’ll learn some unexpected lessons like: Being blissfully unaware of your God-given faults; the ‘Train for Greatness’ concept; Doing the Right Thing No matter What and why being the underdog is so f’ing cool. Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Life lessons are everywhere, sometimes you just need to know where to look.  Today Blake and I talk about TV shows (yes TV!) that are jam packed with life lessons.  We both love Friday Night Lights & the Office so we pick out some great examples and talk about what they each taught us.  I think you’ll get a kick out of the pod today, check it out and let us know what you think.

On the pod today our illustrious friend Blake talks about how to harness your inner power.  This is a big topic and one I’m glad we’re finally discussing.  The ability to tap into your own power is quite..(wait for it).. powerful. In all seriousness we both realized that we’re all way more powerful than we think and most of our blocks are self-imposed.  By changing our ideals and views of ourselves we can break through those barriers.  Anyway, check out the pod and let us know what you think.

Today Blake and I talk about how to finish 2018 strong. We talk about how to deal with typical holiday stressors and how to enjoy this time period without going totally  insane:)  Check out our pre-show notes below and let us know what you think of the show by leaving a review in iTunes. Thanks!

Today Blake and I continue the personal leadership topic we started last week.  We dive into creating a personal leadership plan, a personal mission statement & setting goals.  By the the end of this you should be able to create a personal mission statement, set clear life goals and create an action plan.

Working on your personal leadership skills is one of the best things you can do in life. Today Blake and I talk about developing your personal leadership skills in a simple yet effective way.    This is a pretty big topic so it’ll be broken into 2 different podcasts. Check it out.

Today our co-host Blake answers rapid fire questions around all aspects of heath & diet including: What do you believe to be true about fitness that most people don’t? Is there a right way to lose fat/weight? What’s the best diet to follow? (trick question) Are cheat days ok? What is the cost/benefit analysis of cheat days? How to master the ‘pain cave’ of training? How do you consistently push yourself further than most? What are the most common mistakes you see from your gym clients?  (I was very surprised with this answer) Explain the mindset of focused training? Health advice for your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, etc… Hearing Blake answer a multitude of questions about health, fitness, diet was both illuminating and inspiring.  He gives very practical and easy-to-follow advice for anyone. He talks about the pillars of good heath including good sleep, managing stress, etc. We talk about the value of ‘mindless’ training (not what you’d expect); the power of daily sunlight and how afraid Blake is of spiders:) Regardless where you are in your health journey, there’s plenty of stuff for you to take away from this episode. I hope you enjoy it!