Strong Ambition Podcast

What if chasing your dream body actually made you less healthy? In this episode, I sit down with Ikiaka Mahuka—a coach whose journey into fitness started with an unhealthy transformation. After growing up overweight and losing over 80 pounds through extreme, unsustainable methods, he eventually found a more grounded approach—and built a coaching career around helping others do the same. We talk ab...

What do women really need during pregnancy and postpartum? (Hint: it’s not just core exercises and macros.) In this episode, I sit down with Christy Ewing—a coach with deep expertise in women's health—to talk about the challenges women face in their pre-, peri-, and postnatal phases. We dig into the often-overlooked realities of female physiology, including how hormonal shifts, nervous system...

What if getting strong wasn’t just about performance, but about staying alive longer? In this episode, I sit down with Jordan Smith, a coach and powerlifter who’s made it his mission to help people live longer through strength. We explore the connection between muscle, movement, and longevity, and how the training culture has shifted away from purely aesthetic goals into something much deeper. Jor...

Could you imagine waking up without being able to see? Or talk? In this episode, I interview Kijuan Amey, who was in a serious motorcycle accident that left him hospitalized and unable to see, talk, or walk. We dive deep into the raw reality of recovery: the mindset, the struggle, and what it really takes to rebuild—physically and mentally—after everything changes. In this episode, we discuss: How...

Ever wonder what happens when a physical therapist is a powerlifter? In this episode, I chat with Justin Geisler—a Doctor of Physical Therapy who’s also a strength and nutrition coach. We get into everything from managing pain during training to the benefits of heavy lifting across all ages. Justin shares his journey from hands-on therapy to virtual coaching, and we explore how real-world strength...

Ever wonder how competitive fighters plan their nutrition? Despite all the access to information, many fighters are still suffering through unnecessary, brutal weight cuts and following outdated nutrition advice. This week on the podcast, I sit down with James Nichol—a Muay Thai fighter and sports nutritionist—to break down the biggest mistakes in combat sports nutrition and what fighters should a...

Do you use a wearable? Apple Watch, Fitbit, Aura rings, and so many other brands have started to flood the market. But what can they tell us? Dr. Torkil Færø has discovered that it can tell you almost everything you need for optimal health. Dr. Færø went on his own journey, starting out overweight, sick, and with poor health. As he says, “like my patients” He wanted a change. He discovered through...

Have you ever thought about who are the hardest-working people in the world? Some people literally have to work 24 hours a day. Why aren’t those people the wealthiest? And when it comes to business or fitness, why doesn’t hard work get you the results you want? Well, Gavin has great guidance to open your mind to what you’re missing. Maybe it’s not about the work you physically need to do, but rath...

So much to tell you about! I had two really big challenges from January into March. As you may have seen, I did 60 days of eating a cookie every day and losing weight! There were so many great lessons I learned from it. I want to give you some awesome tips for your own fat-loss journey that really helped me. And I did my first powerlifting competition! I’ve wanted to do this for years, but I final...

Could you imagine losing 120lbs? Have you ever considered if organic food is worth it or could it just be a scam? What do women have to worry about with fat-loss nutrition when considering hormones? Melissa answers all that and more. Melissa Ostash is a fellow online nutrition coach, who specializes in helping women in nutrition on their fat-loss journey. She had to come from a HUGE lifestyle chan...

How do you feel about the MAHA movement? Ever wondered what really makes a great trainer? I sat down with John Stein, an Exercise Physiologist (one of the highest qualifications in the training world), to get his expert take. John has worked in clinical settings with heart attack patients and helped everyday people lose weight and get healthier. We had a trainer-to-trainer chat, covering: ✅ What...

Do you know your own body fat percentage? What if I told you, something like a skin fold test, could be over 10% off? And what if you could know your bone mineral density? This is why a DEXA scan is so helpful. Melina Elliott and Erica Henderson, the co-founders of Body Measure, started the first business that could offer this information to the public, in Winnipeg. At body measure you can have yo...

105 - How to improve your strength without breaking down! - Dr. J’aime Goguen Are you curious about improving your strength without your body breaking down? Well, imagine what it’s like to work with high-level competitive powerlifters and try to keep their bodies from breaking down. That’s Dr. G’s job for her powerlifting team…And she helps me! Dr. J’aime Goguen is a board-certified doctor of chir...

Do you know what a DEXA scan is? Just in case you don’t know, it is a Dual Energy Xray Absorptiometry. So you understand it simply, it is a very low dose X-ray that can determine a ton of data about your body including Body fat % Lean Mass (therefore predicting muscle mass) And bone mineral density And it is currently the gold standard for determining your body fat percentage. I went back to Body...

Did you know there is a business that delivers trainers right to your home? Jayce is one of those trainers! Jayce Van Alstyne is a colleague of mine I met at university for Kinesiology. He’s been in the industry as long as I have but went into a unique path of working as a in-home personal trainer, and even owning a part of the franchise! In this discussion, we go over his story of what led him in...

Are you curious about these health topics? With so many trends and ideas going around it’s so important you have some clear ideas you can use. Do you think you need to worry about Gut Health? Do you think you need to go gluten-free? Are you missing HIIT cardio? In this episode, I dive in-depth into these topics. I give you the overrated/underrated idea but with context. Very often people give you...

What makes a good strength and conditioning program? Is it just doing hard stuff in the gym so you’re more prepared for the sport? It’s actually quite far from that, and Don Moxley has a TON of data to prove it. Don Moxley is a sports scientist, who helped many athletes achieve incredible success in wrestling, including Olympic medals and many world championships. This is Don’s 2nd appearance on t...

This episode is a big one. It was an absolute honor to have this guest on. My father…Don Qually. My dad has been a grain farmer all his life. He’s seen some good years, some bad years, and terrible years. But no matter what he kept pushing through. My dad is by far one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. Sun up to sun down. And no one has shown me a better example of what it means to chas...

One of my favourite people in the world is back! AJ Zeglen is my most repeated guest for a reason. He was my former boss, an incredible mentor, and now a good friend. We are very like-minded on so many things when it comes to ideas within training and nutrition. So, I had to have him on again to discuss some of the hot topics on social media these days. And this is an IN PERSON episode! These are...

You’re probably used to hearing “Sugar is toxic!” Does this mean all sugars? Did you know…there are many different types of sugars and some are really healthy? Dr. Lewis has done research to discover two types of saccharides (sugars) that can help treat metabolic disease and Alzheimer's. Dr. John Lewis was a researcher, with over 180 publications in the top scientific journals, and he came across...

Want to get rid of your Dad-bod? Can you sculpt your body when you’re over the age of 35? Dane’s 5 pillar system can help you do just that. Dane Palarino initially owned two 7-figure head hunting businesses, and despite having money, he didn’t have happiness. Despite doing 60 minutes of working out, and 16-hour fasts, he couldn’t believe how bad he felt about how he looked. So he picked up a pair...

Why would someone want to become a fighter? Why join the military? Alec Irvine has a story to tell about just that. Alec is a former client of mine. He worked with me when he was a teenager, around 15-16 years old, maybe 140-150lbs, and he’s now around the age of 22-23 years old, and 190lbs. He’s not only turned into a fully grown man but also a man of the military. I worked with Alec in both his...

Do you think your psychology is stopping your weight loss? What if there was a form of hypnosis to help improve it? Dr. Glauberman has a program to help with that. Dr. Lloyd Glauberman is a clinical psychologist and the creator of the lifestyle intelligence program. He has a fascinating story about how he accidentally found a career in psychology, and then after one simple comment from a friend “W...

What kind of mindset does it take to get 7 figure months in your business? What does it mean to be a warrior in a garden? How does training and nutrition fit into it? Joe has the answers for all of these and more. Joe Marcoux is a sales coach for coaches. He specializes in helping people in the fitness industry understand how to sell their products confidently without feeling like a slimy salesper...

Social media is littered with so much garbage information. But what is garbage and what is useful? Does carnivore make sense? Does fasting help repair your DNA? Can cold plunges burn more calories? Mitch and I clear all this up. Mitch Calvert is an online trainer himself and has been on the show before. Check out Episode 42 to hear his story about how he went from being obese to a very successful...