How To Battle Podcast

What if the reason you don’t have a tribe yet… is because you’re being called to become the man who attracts one? In this unfiltered conversation, Carlos shares how brotherhood isn’t found - it’s forged through inner work, discipline, humility, and courage. After starting over with nothing post-prison, he learned that manhood isn’t defined by money, status, or comparison, but by what remains when...

What happens when fear shows up right before the moment you’ve been waiting for? Poet, speaker, and teacher Angela Aguirre shares a childhood story -standing in front of mariachis, terrified to sing - and the lesson her dad gave her: feel the fear, and do it anyway. From being “born into recovery” in Narcotics Anonymous rooms to finding her voice through Def Poetry Jam, Angela unpacks what it mean...

Strength isn’t built in comfort; it’s forged when everything familiar is stripped away. I sit down with Shirin Hejazi for a raw, honest conversation about what strength and self-discovery really mean. I reflect on solitary confinement, trauma, and the ongoing battle between ego and healing, and how suffering became the doorway to awakening. Drawing inspiration from thinkers like Carl Jung and Eckh...

Bryson McCalley is the founder and CEO of LAST OF A DYNG SEED, an author, filmmaker, and mentor shaped by hard-earned experience. Raised amid violence in Long Beach and later serving 15 years in a Level IV California prison, Bryson chose growth over defeat. He shares how trauma and environment pushed him toward incarceration, and how prison became the proving ground where he built discipline, educ...

In this episode, I candidly explore my evolution from the chaos of gang leadership and prison to building a life rooted in authentic inspiration, empathy, and self-mastery. Drawing on my lived experience, insights from my book, and my original PRICE Leadership Framework , I break down what it truly means to lead yourself before you can lead others. Joined by co-host Shirin Hejazi, we challenge com...

Growing up in a neighborhood marked by violence, addiction, and the constant pursuit to fit in, David Moore takes us on a raw and honest journey through his early years – navigating gang life, substance abuse, and the heartbreak of losing his brother at a young age. He shares how his desperate need for respect and belonging led him down a dangerous path, culminating in being shot at just 15 years...

In this Carlos Unfiltered episode, I sit down with my co-host, Shirin Hejazi, to talk honestly about anger – how it once protected me in prison, and how I’ve learned to transform it. I share how my anger started in childhood and became a survival tool in a world where it felt like currency. Over time, I realised it didn’t just destroy, it held energy I could redirect. Now, instead of reacting, I u...

Welcome to episode 50! Carlos Vasquez brings together the five most-downloaded conversations from How To Battle , diving deep into raw stories of trauma, forgiveness and clawing your way back from the edge. From fractured bonds between fathers and sons to the marks we carry – inked on skin or buried inside – these guests lay it all out: the weight of childhood pain, the moment you choose to walk a...

I open up about what it really felt like growing up without my father – the confusion, the anger, and the emptiness that followed me into the streets. That pain pushed me toward the wrong crowd and eventually straight into gang life. By 19, I was behind bars. In this conversation, I’m brutally honest about the consequences of that path and what it takes to step up and break generational cycles. I...

Carlos Vasquez sits down with Travon Harris – once facing a life sentence, now building a thriving business and rewriting his future. Travon Harris candidly opens up about his childhood growing up in South Los Angeles, the pressure and survival instincts that led him into the criminal lifestyle, and the pivotal moments that sparked his transformation behind bars. They explore what it means to find...

In this Carlos Unfiltered episode, I get real about what leadership actually takes today. Not hype. Not theory. Real-world pressure, real decisions, real consequences. I break down the mindset that’s shaped me as a leader – why empathy isn’t weakness, why compassion is a weapon, and why confidence only matters when it’s tied to purpose. I share lessons earned the hard way running a business and le...

Celebrity Trainer Austin Curry has trained some of the biggest names in the game – including YouTube giant MrBeast – but his real story isn’t about fame or followers. It’s about fighting through pain, doubt, and failure to rebuild himself from the inside out. Carlos Vasquez dives deep into Austin’s journey, from a rough childhood and low self-worth to mastering the mindset that turned his life aro...

Today I’m sharing my story, from the day I got sentenced and walked straight from a courtroom into a prison cell, to the long road of trying to figure out who I really was. Back then, I believed confidence meant dominance: standing tall, showing no weakness, keeping people at a distance. But that was just fear in disguise. Violence became my armor because I didn’t know who I was without it. It too...

April Rehrig is an educator, advocate, and champion for children and families who often feel overlooked in the realms of special education and neurodiversity. She candidly discusses the challenges parents encounter within the school system—from navigating IEPs and addressing hidden disabilities to embracing the power of self-advocacy and owning their narratives. April confronts stigma, redefines r...

In this raw, eye-opening conversation with guest host Shirin Hejazi, I share hard-earned insights from my own journey – what it felt like to live behind emotional armor, the myths of masculinity I had to unlearn and the power I discovered in authentic connection. I also talk about the work I do mentoring others, what it truly takes to grow as a man, and why real strength is found in vulnerability....

Dan Olschwang grew up in the chaos of Jerusalem, carrying the weight of trauma from a young age. From the age of 6, he saw death every year – murders, bombings, accidents. At just 14, he barely survived a bombing, an experience that left him battling PTSD and learning to hide his fears behind toughness and success. But running from pain only goes so far. Dan spent years chasing achievements and tr...

I’ve been through the kind of isolation most people can’t imagine – locked away in solitary confinement, stripped of connection, fighting to keep my mind and spirit alive. But here’s the truth: loneliness doesn’t just live in a prison cell. It’s everywhere. People are feeling it at work, at home, even while scrolling through endless feeds that never fill the void. In this conversation with Shirin...

Professional fighter Ian Butler opens up about a journey defined by resilience, from experiencing homelessness and family struggles to competing on MMA’s biggest stages. With raw honesty, Ian shares the inner battles that shaped his path and the faith, relentless work and unexpected mentors who helped him rise above. This conversation explores transformation, purpose, and giving back. Discover how...

Former NFL player and Super Bowl champion Paul Kruger shares the battles that shaped his life beyond the game. From near-death experiences and the pressures of professional football to the quieter struggles with doubt and identity, Paul speaks with raw honesty. This conversation explores transformation. Discover how fatherhood, love, and entrepreneurship gave him a renewed sense of purpose, and wh...

From childhood trauma to 17 years in prison, my path has been anything but easy. But in this conversation, guided by host Shirin Hejazi, I open up about what I found beyond the walls: meaning, love, and the possibility of trust. I share moments of struggle, betrayal, and unexpected kindness, and how my understanding of trust has shifted – from survival mode to building real, lasting connections. E...

Welcome to How To Battle . Today marks a special moment. For the first time, I’m here—no guest to interview, no idea of the questions I would face. Just me, opening up about the personal battles that have shaped my life. From gang life to prison, from trauma to transformation, I’ve walked through some of the darkest places a person can go. And in this episode – interviewed by Shirin Hejazi, co-fou...

Today’s guest is Mason Sawyer. His story is almost too heavy to imagine. In July 2021, just a month after I walked out of prison, Mason lost his wife, two of his children, his brother, and his nephew in a single car accident. In this conversation, Mason opens up about grief, strength, and why he refuses to believe that “everything happens for a reason.” We talk about how pain and hope can exist si...

Bruce Cardenas, entrepreneur and former Marine, is a key leader at Legendary Foods and previously served as Chief Communications Officer at Quest Nutrition. Bruce’s journey is anything but ordinary, from small-town roots and military service to policing in Los Angeles during the height of gang violence, and on to building multi-million-dollar nutrition brands. In this episode, Bruce sits down with...

Nancy Gale is the founder of JAMAH, an ultra-luxury handbag brand, and creator of Ambition, an entrepreneurial program for disadvantaged youth. In this episode, she shares her powerful story with Carlos Vasquez about overcoming violent assault, the loss of her mother to crime, and how she transformed pain into purpose. With heart and humor, she reflects on choosing joy, mentoring the next generati...

Carlos Vasquez, usually the voice behind How To Battle, steps into the guest chair for a rare and powerful conversation with Patty Devlin, a leader known for driving real results in high-pressure corporate settings, without losing sight of the human beings behind the work. Together, they explore what it really means to lead with purpose. From Carlos’s past as a shot caller in prison to his present...