The Powerhouse Mentality

Send us Fan Mail What does it REALLY take to stop building someone else's dream and start building your own? I'm joined by Brandyn Alejos and Rick Lastner, co-founders of NYO (Not Your Ordinary Foods) , a new functional food brand looking to shake up an increasingly crowded industry. With decades of combined experience in sports nutrition, Brandyn and Rick have seen the good, the bad, an...

Send us Fan Mail Everybody wants the results. Not everybody is willing to do what it takes to earn them. This week I'm joined by Danielle Bucki ; runner, mother, and co-owner of Fit Butters , for a conversation about what it REALLY takes to build something you're proud of. Danielle recently demolished her half-marathon PR, running faster than she ever has, even before having kids. But th...

Send us Fan Mail You probably know MuscleSport for Lean Whey, wild limited-edition flavors and some of the most creative products in sports nutrition. But the story behind the brand is a hell of a lot bigger than protein. In this episode of The Powerhouse Journal, Kaitlyn sits down with MuscleSport founder Jason Mancuso and Rob “Franky” Oberholzer to unpack nearly three decades of experience in th...

Send us Fan Mail What if you’re not doing too much? What if you just want more? In this episode, I'm talking about what happens when your ambition, discipline, standards, and intensity start making other people uncomfortable - and why that doesn’t automatically mean you need to tone yourself down. We get into the difference between obsession and self-destruction, why uncommon goals require un...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually take to build something that lasts? I sat down with Tom Reilly , one of the founders of VMI Sports , for a conversation about supplements, entrepreneurship, and the one thing he believes matters more than getting everything right: persistence. We get into the story behind VMI, the intention behind their formulas, the explosion of creatine, and why Tom describ...

Send us Fan Mail Before you spend money on another supplement, take a step back and evaluate what you’re actually buying. In this episode, I break down five essential questions that can help you look beyond bold claims, trendy ingredients, flashy packaging, and influencer marketing. You’ll learn how to evaluate a supplement based on its purpose, formula, ingredient doses, and overall value - not s...

Send us Fan Mail The Bearded Gorilla is BACK. Shaun Hawley returns to the podcast for another completely unfiltered conversation about the supplement industry - where it’s been, where it’s going, and what’s actually winning right now. We get into the rise of transparency and why proprietary blends have become nearly impossible to defend, what separates a great product from a great BRAND, why flavo...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually take to build one of the most respected brands in sports nutrition? In this episode, I sit down with Aaron Summers , Executive at 1st Phorm , to talk about the 13-year journey of helping build the company from the ground up. We go far beyond supplements and into the principles that create lasting success—discipline, culture, leadership, delayed gratification,...

Send us Fan Mail Most supplement companies sell hype. Very few build trust. In this episode, I sit down with Robik , owner of Apollon Nutrition , for one of the most honest conversations I've had about the supplement industry. We break down why transparency matters, how brands manipulate consumers through marketing, why many influencers have lost credibility, and what actually separates great...

Send us Fan Mail Justin Hall; aka Supplement Snoop , is back for round two, and this conversation went exactly where you’d expect: all over the supplement industry with absolutely zero filter. We break down why a great formula alone isn’t enough to build a successful brand, why “clinically dosed” doesn’t automatically mean better, and why proprietary blends still piss us off. Justin also pulls bac...

Send us Fan Mail Most people think mobility means stretching. Matt Phili is here to tell you that's only a small piece of the puzzle. In this episode, Kaitlyn sits down with the founder of Primal Mobility to discuss why so many people continue to struggle with chronic pain despite stretching, foam rolling, and trying every "fix" under the sun. Matt breaks down the real difference be...

Send us Fan Mail We are back on the mic for a solo episode... Most people don't need another motivational quote. They need a framework. In this episode, I break down the 3 traits that I genuinely believe can completely change the trajectory of your life: Learn Fast – Stop making the same mistakes over and over. Every setback should teach you something. Stay in the Fight – Success isn't r...

Send us Fan Mail If you've ever wondered what actually goes into creating a great supplement, this episode is for you. I sat down with Dave Rynecki , Director of Research & Development for Crush It Brands ( Core Nutritionals , Unmatched , and 'Merica Labz) , to pull back the curtain on what happens long before a product ever hits store shelves. We talked about everything from ingredi...

Send us Fan Mail Most people only see the success. They don't see the eviction notices. They don't see the storage unit. They don't see the nights spent wondering how they're going to pay rent the next month. In this episode of The Powerhouse Journal Podcast, I sit down with Dillian Falbe, the head of sales for Alchemy Labs and Nutra Authority, to discuss his incredible journey...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Powerhouse Mentality Podcast, I sit down with Ben from PricePlow to talk about the evolution of the supplement industry, the future of functional products, and the reality behind sports nutrition content online. We dive into Ghost Energy, creatine gummies, GLP-1s, hydration products, supplement myths, fear-mongering on social media, ingredient transparency,...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually take to go from addiction… to freedom? In this episode, I sit down with Meg, who just celebrated 8 years of sobriety after over a decade of struggling with alcohol addiction. We dive into: What her life looked like before sobriety The moment everything changed Why people stay stuck in addiction (or any destructive pattern) The role of faith, surrender, and pu...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when everything gets taken from you in a single moment? In this episode, I sit down with Dev — Regional Sales Manager at Ghost Energy — to break down his journey from Division 1 football to professional leagues to a life-changing accident that left him in a wheelchair.  We talk about what it really takes to rebuild — physically and mentally — and how he turned one of...

Send us Fan Mail Life doesn’t slow down when you’re struggling, and that’s the part nobody prepares you for. In this episode, I’m getting real about what it looks like to keep showing up when things feel heavy - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Because the truth is, most people don’t fail, they just stop when it gets hard. We talk about why consistency matters more than motivation, how to br...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Coaches Corner, Marco break and myself down one of the biggest things holding people back in fitness: the all-or-nothing mindset. From CrossFit Open experiences to real-life training struggles, we dive into how people let perfection, time constraints, injuries, and lack of equipment become excuses to do nothing — when the real answer is learning how to adapt and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Powerhouse Journal , I'm joined by Sean, The Bearded Gorilla, for a conversation that covers way more than just energy drinks. We break down Ghost 7UP , talk about why soda and nostalgia-based collabs keep winning, and dive into some of the biggest trends happening right now in supplements, protein, and the functional beverage space.  From Bum energy po...

Send us Fan Mail Victoria is a registered nurse, content creator, and supplement educator who has seen health from both sides — inside the ICU and outside through lifestyle, fitness, and prevention. In this episode, we dive into: What it’s really like working in healthcare (and why prevention matters more than ever) How social media misinformation led to an eating disorder — and how she recovered...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I sit down with Spencer Lynn from PricePlow to talk all things supplements, industry realities, and the mindset behind building an uncommon life. Spencer shares his path from football to the Army to the sports nutrition world — including how one Instagram DM helped launch his career. We break down Arnold Expo culture, the early influence of bodybuilding.com forums...

Send us Fan Mail Most people don’t fail their goals because they lack discipline — they fail because they’re measuring progress the wrong way. In this episode of Coaches Corner , Kaitlyn and Marco break down why relying on a single metric (like the number on the scale) leads to frustration, burnout, and quitting too soon. We dive into: Why outcome goals alone don’t work Input vs. outcome measureme...

Send us Fan Mail At 17 years old, Justin has already done what most people spend their entire lives avoiding — choosing discomfort on purpose. After years of isolation, video games, fast food, and zero direction, he decided to change his life one inconvenient decision at a time: walking miles to the gym, fixing his sleep schedule, removing fast food, training jiu-jitsu, and eventually running ultr...

Send us Fan Mail In the first episode of The Powerhouse Journal, Kaitlyn and Shaun Hawley ( The Bearded Gorilla ) break down the current state of the supplement and fitness industry. The mission of this series is simple: help you navigate the noise and the marketing so you can make smarter decisions in an industry full of hype. We cover: • Our favorite products from 2025 and early 2026 • New relea...