The Pat Flynn Show

Being authentic is hard work. Most of us live in a state of defensiveness, putting our guard up to shield ourselves from criticism or judgement. While this seems like the safe place to be, being inauthentic leads to unhealthy--sometimes even downright paranoid--behavior.  Opening up, becoming vulnerable, and letting people in is one of the most challenging, yet ultimately rewarding aspects of life...

Jacqueline Carly of GetPlanty.com joins me to discuss the not-so-subtle intricacies of nutrition and how the job of every coach is to play the role of detective.  Nutrition problems, in other words, are not just nutrition related. So if this episode has anything to teach, it's that everything is connected, and everything matters. Said another way: Just because you have poor eating habits, doesn't...

Chris Lopez, owner of fitandbusydad.com and kettlebellworkouts.com, joins me to discuss why he sold everything and moved from Toronto to the jungles of Costa Rica. Chris and his wife homeschool their children and have been living out of a shipping container. As you might suspect, I had a few questions about this, and our conversation, to no surprise, was incredibly entertaining. Chris, like myself...

"Knowing you suck is a great thing. It excites me to know I can improve." Jordan Syatt, strength coach, world record holding powerlifter, personal trainer to Gary Vaynerchuk, and my co-host of the seasonal Online Fitness Business Podcast, joins me to talk about sucking, or in some cases stumbling, your way to success. On this eclectic and sarcastic episode, Jordan and I press each other with a ser...

Aleks "The Hebrew Hammer" Salkin is a strength coach and world-traveler living in Jerusalem. He journeys the globe delivering sermons on how not to suck. It's a pretty sweet gig.  In this episode we solve all the usual world problems, such as: The ultimate post workout meal that nobody seems to be eating, what surprising lessons Aleks has learned moving from Nebraska to Jerusalem, and how crawling...

Lou Schuler is an award winning journalist, co-author of The New Rules of Lifting series, fiction writer, and history buff. I wanted to bring Lou onto the show because I've long admired his abilities behind a keyboard, and how he's been able to find success in unconventional ways, by combining skills that, from a view, appear unrelated. He's a great example of a generalist. Our discussion was as e...

Dr. Spencer Nadolsky (aka The Doc Who Lifts) is a specialist in obesity medicine, and renowned weight loss coach. He's also one of my business partners and close friends.  I brought Dr. Spencer on to discuss evidence based approaches to eating and exercise, the benefits, as well as the drawbacks, and to help us dissect an interesting new study that came out around the idea of "nutritional periodiz...

Michael Malice, author of Dear Reader, is an authority on North Korea, full time writer (also celebrity ghost writer), radio show host, columnist for The Observer, and political commentator. He's also one of my online clients. Michael Malice encapsulates what it means to be a generalist. He's developed skills in many areas to create a successful, thriving career around what he loves--running his m...

You can't be successful in life without a proper proportion and understanding of what's important: Work, rest, play, and pray/meditation. This episode discusses how to approach balance without losing productivity. In fact, the strategy I give of "rotational specialization" increases productivity AND balance. They're not mutually exclusive. One ultimately enhances the other.  Generalism is about ba...

Dan John, strength coach, author, professor of theology, discus thrower--sounds like a generalist to me! Dan John, as many of you know, is one of the greatest minds in strength and conditioning today. He even invented the goblet squat, for heaven's sake. But more impressive, is Dan John's generalist attitude, of wanting to enjoy "the buffet of life", as he calls it.  In this episode we cover it al...

Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media Group, NYT Bestseller, is is a master communicator. I've been following and learning from Chris for years--he's one of my top "business guys." I was excited to have Chris on to ask him all the meaty questions. What does his writing process look like? How in the heck has he written ten books and lived to promote them? What are his favorite lifts in the gym? What is...

Arjuna Aishaya, a bright path Ishaya monk and meditation teacher, joins me to discuss the many, countless benefits of meditation, and some simple ways of getting started. From calming an anxious mind, to pursuing the meaning of life, meditation is means through which we can connect with a deeper sense of reality and purpose in life.

If you're looking for immediate steps you can take to start growing your business, this episode is for you.  I had the pleasure to sit down with New York Times bestselling author Yuri Elkaim as we discussed "scaling the unscalable" or how Yuri makes small, personal, grassroots efforts to build his high end consulting business--from personal messages on Facecbook, to building reciprocity among his...

What are the first steps toward starting an online business? I thought it would be helpful to talk you through what I believe are essential components you need to have in place for building your online empire. As with anything, this is about basics. Because those who are successful at business are like those who are successful at fitness: They own and understand the basics.  The basics of building...

I'm often asked, "Are kettlebells the only thing you use?" The answer, simply, is no. There is a tool for every job, and your job, is to figure out what that tool is, and how best to use it for your goal.  In this episode I discuss what I feel the best piece of exercise equipment is for every goal, from lower body strength, to conditioning, and mobility. Hope you enjoy!

David Dellanave joins me to discuss four (or five? It might have been five.) skills for succeeding at life. It's some number of skills. And all of them are important. Perhaps not important enough to remember how many skills we talked about, but certainly important enough to talk about and then forget. Enjoy.

When we think of creativity, we often think in terms of art – a painting or sculpture, for instance. But creativity is a valuable trait that goes beyond just artistic expression. Professionals need to find creative solutions to increase productivity or reduce costs. Entrepreneurs use creativity to find solutions to problems customers are experiencing. Marketers need to think of ways their companie...

If you're a fitness pro trying to grow an online audience, this is your episode.  Vince Delmonte joins me to discuss Youtube strategy for fitness pros. We cover everything: How to gain more subscribers, how to come with content ideas, how to structure your videos to appeal to the right people.

Kettlebell complexes are my go-to for time-efficient, hard-hitting, fat-stripping workouts. So I figured I would discuss both the benefits and versatility of training with complexes for faster fat loss, along with more efficient muscle gain. Specific examples and workouts provided. Enjoy! 

Som's back and today we talk about how much you should be able to deadlift from the perspective of a generalist. From there, Som gives a simple, 2x/week, 15-rep program for getting your numbers up. If you like deadlifting, you're going to love this.

In this episode, Som is back, and we discuss how to get better at anything that interests you, by using the same principles you would in the weight room: Repetition and Resistance. This is a fun one, and focuses a lot on skill development. We talk fitness, martial arts, music, and writing. 

Our first guess is Som Sikdar--who would have known?! The dude is a ninja though. He's a 6th blackbelt, successful business owner, and can design microchips. Also, deadlifts over 400lbs.  Sounds like someone who might be an expert-generalist.  In this episode, Som and I make the argument for why generalist > specialist, particularly in business, but also in fitness.  This episode sets the groundwo...

The point of The Pat Flynn Show is to teach you to evolve into an expert generalist, or someone who is better than most people, at most things. We're going to cover a wide array of interesting subjects and talk to a lot of interesting people. So there will be conversations about fitness and also conversations about business, and maybe even something on learning how to play the kazoo. We'll see how...