Action Over Obstacles - Stories of Peak Performance, Growth & Resilience

John Register is a Keynote Speaker, Author, U.S. Army Veteran and Paralympian. While John was training for the 1996 Olympic Games, one missed hurdle changed everything. A devastating leg injury forced the decorated Persian Gulf War U.S. Army combat veteran to make a life-altering decision: amputation. Instead of chasing what was lost, he embraced a New Normal Mindset and returned to elite sport, b...

Mick Dawson is a world-record-holding ocean rower, former Royal Marine, acclaimed author and film maker. He skippered the first—and still only—rowing boat to cross the North Pacific, navigating nearly 7,000 miles from Japan to San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge. In 2018, Mick made history again, by rowing the Pacific with blind veteran Steve Sparkes, marking another world first. Founder of...

Garret Biss is a retired Marine Corps pilot, TEDx speaker, recovery coach, and advocate for veteran mental health and resilience. Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Garret now lives in North Carolina, where he works to help veterans and others overcome addiction, anxiety, identity loss, and the invisible wounds that often follow high-performance careers and major life transitions. After serving...

James "Jim" Logan is a lifelong endurance sports enthusiast, with a focus on IRONMAN triathlons. At age 59 1/2 his life was perfect, until he was diagnosed in April 2024 with terminal - stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer that had advanced to his liver. He was told he had 6 months to 2 years to live. However, 2 years later there is no evidence of disease, and he is not only alive, but t...

Cliff Beach is a Los Angeles-based award-winning musician, author, speaker, and radio host blending funk, soul, jazz, and R&B with motivational storytelling. A Grand Prize Winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Cliff has amassed over 1 million streams and multiple international music awards. He is also the host of  Deeper Grooves: Musicians on Music  on The SoCal Sound (88.5 FM), where...

Amy Skorich is a certified running coach, marathoner, community powerhouse, and owner of "Run Your Way Coaching" in Apex, North Carolina. She has qualified and competed in many of the world's most notable Marathons including Boston and London. Through her coaching business she works with a variety of runners who differ in age and coaching goals. Amy is also extremely involved in the...

Jay Sensi is a SaaS Founder most known for starting the companies My College Roomie and Campus Kaizen. Jay took an idea for a college roommate matching platform and over the course of a decade bootstrapped it into an industry leading EdTech software company before it was acquired by private equity in 2024. Jay's exit allowed him to fulfill a lifelong goal of retiring by age 40. Jay recently la...

Brian Waters moved out at age 17 with no safety net, worked three jobs, and bought his first house before he ever earned a college degree — and his story proves that your starting point has absolutely nothing to do with where you finish. For the last 40 years Brian along with his business partner and wife Rhonda, have owned and operated Waters Learning & Development LLC, a business consulting...

JD Tremblay is the Director of High Performance and Mental Resilience Advisor at Hungry Warrior Academy. He helps men achieve peak performance through the DECA System so they can operate with clarity and expand their capacity under pressure. JD’s background combines engineering thinking, naturopathic practice, and ultra-endurance performance. He is also one of only three people in the world to com...

Joe Farrell's journey in life is defined by bold decisions, relentless self-motivation, un-wavering faith and a deep commitment to serving others. He is a Former Technology Services Entrepreneur, with business in the US, Europe and Asia. This business created jobs globally and were Technology service partners to Global Fortune 1000 business. After a successful sale of the Technology Business i...

Colleen Obrien is a Positive Psychology Coach and the owner of “The Remedy State” – A Life Design coaching program that guides people to design lives with more meaning, purpose and authenticity. Her path has been anything but conventional. After studying IT in college and building a 17-year career in corporate tech, she wove in studies including Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine, became a certifi...

Barry Scruggs is a US Army Veteran of 7 years on active duty, that included (2) Combat Deployments to Afghanistan for a total of 19 Months. Barry’s hobbies and interests include Ultra Marathons, Running and Weightlifting. In combination with daily life, he strives to engage others in the running community and those who are trying to reclaim their fitness, using his story as the foundation that cha...

Michael Pichan is an Ultra Endurance Athlete and Journey Racer. After a much too-long hiatus from any physical activity, Michael discovered Rucking in November of 2021 which eventually led him to endurance events and a progression into running ultra marathons and journey races.     Some highlights along Michael's journey from his self-described “Fat Mike to Fit Mike” include:   Completing the...

Chris Smith is the Owner and Operator of the RISE Flag Football organization in Apex, North Carolina, a University of Florida graduate, and a longtime Gator fan. As a Pop Warner coach, devoted husband, and proud father of two boys, he stays deeply involved in both his family’s life and the local sports community. Chris shares tremendous insight all around taking us back to his time growing up in F...

Yana Polikarpov is the founder of Dark Horse Coaching, a USATF Level 1 coach and holds a Diploma in Coaching and Positive Psychology. Yana's passion lies in human potential, and she is on a mission to help people move beyond just "life span" to focus on "health span", whether that is through running or building sustainable, positive change. Be sure to follow Yana and book a...

Todd Clark is a Fire Captain, Paramedic, and leadership advocate with nearly two decades in public safety. After experiencing firsthand, the impact of alcohol culture within the first responder profession, Todd chose to live alcohol-free and now focuses on helping firefighters, law enforcement officers, and EMS professionals perform at a higher level through wellness, leadership, and cultural chan...

Danny Sallis is originally from Littleton, Colorado. Danny spent nearly 12 years in the U.S. Army serving in a Psychological Operations unit, where his work focused on counter-trafficking efforts throughout Central and South America. That role included multiple deployments to Panama, collaborating with the Panamanian military, U.S.government partners and NGOs to identify and disrupt illicit activi...

Rob Smalling has more than 30 years expertise in Human Resources, Employee and Leadership Development and Business Operations. Over the years, Rob has honed his skills working in diverse industries, including Aerospace, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare IT, and Private Equity. Rob now owns and operates his consulting business, "Four-Five Consulting". For the past seven years, he has dedicated...

Peter Kerr is the Owner of "The Massage Joint" in Downtown Apex, NC. Peter shares how after leaving the Army, he found massage therapy and through healing others, set him on his path to greatness, finding inner peace and fulfillment. Peter provides great thoughts and insights into life philosophies, overcoming obstacles, cultivating the mind, body and spirit, the healing power of music a...

In May 2026, Mark Long will attempt to become the first blind man to complete the legendary SAS Fan Dance. A brutal 24km off-road mountain challenge across the Brecon Beacons — pushing endurance, resilience, and mindset to the absolute limit. Every step is for one very special reason. Mark is raising money for Penny, a future guide dog puppy, helping provide life-changing independence and support...

Mike O'Connor is proud to be the Chief Relationship Officer for New Hope Treatment Centers, a family owned and operated behavioral healthcare company working with adolescents with complex trauma and other psychiatric and behavioral issues. Mike shares tremendous insight all around in this episode. He reminds us of the importance of practicing gratitude and remembering that even when your day i...

Steve Kozlowski is a top performing real estate agent based in Columbia, SC where he owns and operates his business "Koz Closes". In 2017, Steve found himself unfulfilled in a Civil Engineering career and took the bold leap to leave the engineering field that provided financial security and move into the real estate market with no experience. Steve takes us on that journey from hard lessons learne...

Today on Action Over Obstacles, I want to give you the backstory on why this podcast exists and share: "My Call To Action” For me, I find podcasts to be a source of immense value for learning about concepts, philosophies, stories of greatness and overcoming challenges and they have played a tremendously beneficial role in my learning, reflection and pursuits over the years. I created this pod...