The Everyday Athlete Podcast

As we approach Relentless Collective’s one year anniversary on July 11th, I sat down with owner, Jackson Hayes, for a real conversation about what this first year has looked like running a gym and sports performance facility for the first time.  We get into the raw details of his biggest lessons, biggest challenges, and what he's most grateful for. We talk about what makes us different at Rele...

Zack Hazlett is a former D1 football player who played for Miami of Ohio, a former coach and trainer himself, now an Enterprise Account Executive in tech sales with Stratus and proud father to his daughter Lainey. He's also one of my current Everyday Athlete online coaching clients. What makes this conversation different is Zack's background. He's a former D1 athlete, coached people hi...

Darryl Baldwin is a 2014 national champion, former Ohio State Buckeye and former NFL offensive lineman who played for the Cowboys, Bengals, and Ravens. He's also one of my current in-person training clients. At 6'6" and 280 pounds, he's now running half marathons and competing in HYROX and his mindset on why is something every former athlete needs to hear. In this episode Darryl o...

Back in 2020, I started the Life Rewired podcast by myself. Then when Kris and I started dating, I brought her onto the show. We built it together for years, but eventually realized it would serve our people better if we built separately. She took Life Rewired to speak directly to women. I built The Everyday Athlete Podcast to speak directly to men. In this episode, Kris rejoins me as we reflect o...

In this episode, I sat down with Patrick Coyne , owner of Black Sheep Performance (Cincinnati, Ohio) and co-owner of Contrast Studios , for a real conversation about leadership, performance, and responsibility, inside and outside the gym. Patrick is someone I deeply respect not just for how he trains elite athletes, but for how he approaches life, business, family and leadership. We dive into what...

In this episode, I break down how progressive overload is the foundation of all growth. Not just in training, but in business, relationships, personal development, and life. Every time responsibility increases, friction increases. That friction creates an inflection point: stay comfortable and stuck, or learn, adapt and grow. I share lessons from my time going from walk-on to scholarship football...

In this episode, I sit down with my client and friend Jamie Wood for a powerful conversation about life after football, identity, structure, and what it really means to live with intention as we get older. Jamie and I go back to our days at Ohio State, and we talk through what it felt like to play in an environment built on pressure, high standards, and attention to detail and how those lessons ha...

Back when I was in high school, I used to walk into Supplement Superstores with my buddies and buy whatever was popular or hyped without really understanding what I was taking or ‘why.’ Fast forward to today, my perspective on supplements has completely evolved. I’ve learned that supplements aren’t the foundation, they’re the icing on the cake. The cake is built through training, nutrition, sleep,...

I was once the guy who said, “I hate running.” And that's because I wasn’t good at it and I didn’t know how to ease myself into it. Coming from a football background, conditioning for me meant short, explosive bursts, not long steady miles. After playing, I defaulted to HIIT every session and pushed too hard, too often. The result was poor recovery, hormone issues, nagging injuries, and a body...

In this episode, I sit down with my former Ohio State teammate and one of my best friends, Sam Hubbard. We first met in 2014 when he came in as a freshman on the football team. I had just made the transition from playing lacrosse at Ohio State the year prior to walking on to the football team and we both found ourselves playing on scout team together. Over time, Sam evolved into our starting defen...

In this episode, I sit down with two of my Everyday Athlete clients: Gino and Spencer to talk through their incredible transformations, both inside and outside of the gym. Gino is a former college baseball player and military vet who once weighed 300 lbs. Today, he’s a lean and jacked 170, crushing endurance events and proving what’s possible with the right plan and mindset. Spencer is a former co...

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and former teammate, Jackson Hayes, fellow Ohio State linebacker, performance coach, and now founder of a 24,000 sq ft wellness collective that’s changing the game. Jackson and I reconnected in 2020 at a sports performance facility. I was just getting started in personal training and we instantly bonded over our shared vision for coaching and bui...

In this episode, I’m sharing my journeyfrom D1 athlete at Ohio State to founder and business owner—the struggles,lessons, and raw moments that shaped me. From my early days in St. Louis as atwo-sport athlete to joining Ohio State football in 2014, I dive into what itwas like playing under Urban Meyer and Coach Fickell, training for Pro Day, andthe mistakes I made putting my entire identity into fo...

In this episode of The Everyday Athlete Podcast , I sit down with CJ Saunders, former Ohio State Buckeye, NFL athlete, and team captain, to talk about the evolution of the athlete and why growth shouldn’t stop when our playing days are over. CJ’s journey from walk-on to scholarship athlete, captain, and NFL player is nothing short of inspiring. But beyond the accolades, his perspective on identity...

In this episode of The Everyday Athlete Podcast , I sit down with Roy Hall Jr.—a former Buckeye football legend, NFL athlete, and one of the most influential mentors in my life. Roy first impacted me as a player at Ohio State, speaking to our team with words of faith and purpose that extended far beyond football. Years later, our bond deepened—he became my client, and I continued to learn from his...

In episode #2 of The Everyday Athlete Podcast , we sit down with College Football legend Cardale Jones. Best known for leading Ohio State to a National Championship in 2014, Cardale’s story is one of perseverance, talent, and seizing the moment. We dive into his journey from Glenville High School to Ohio State, where he stepped up as a third-string QB and delivered dominant performances against Wi...

In episode #1 of The Everyday Athlete Podcast , Zach interviews his former Ohio State teammate Justin Hilliard, whose journey through college and professional football is one of perseverance, adversity, and triumph. Justin’s career at Ohio State was marked by a series of significant injuries, including two torn biceps and a two torn Achilles, which pushed him to fight harder than ever to reclaim h...