The Silverback Media Podcast

What do you do when life happens? How do you respond when it feels like too much is going on and you can’t keep up? I will never say that I’ve got it “figured out” by any means. This episode is purely me sharing how I handle these situations so that I can keep showing up day after day. What do I think about and what actions do I try to take consistently to stay in the game? Hopefully you will find...

Is there a part of you thinking that it’s too late for you to start CrossFit? My guest this week is here to prove you wrong. This week on the show, I have Mike Satterfield: anentrepreneur, a father, an everyday CrossFitter, and a Quarterfinalist in this year’s CrossFit open in the 55-59 age group. Mike joins to share his story of how he found CrossFit inhis 40’s after a stretch of time when his he...

This week on the show, I have a CrossFit Level 1 coach, a Quarterfinals qualifier in the 2026 CrossFit Games season, a new dad, and a man working on his PhD. My guest is Itay Ozer! Itay is a coach and member at CrossFit North Scottsdale, and in this story we explore his background from growing up in Israel playing a variety of sports, to moving to the USA at 16 years old without knowing English, a...

This week’s guest on the podcast shares a story of howCrossFit can change your life in many ways beyond the physical and fitness piece of the puzzle. My guest is Ally Hinrichs and she shares how the CrossFitgym has become a place that brings calm to her life when things get chaotic. As a member at CorssFit North Scottsdale, Ally has learned that the consistency she has in the gym pays off in her l...

This week on the podcast, we are bringing you episode 3 ofthe Coach’s Corner series between myself and Kaitlyn Kenna Smith that we have been doing. We have joked that this series can have a subtitle of “Battlingthe All or Nothing Mentality” and, in this episode, we take that to the next level in talking about how to handle your workouts/training when “life” happens. Short on time? Don’t have the e...

Have you ever thought about taking the CrossFit Level 1 course? Maybe you heard about it, but think "I don't want to coach, so it's not for me"? Well then, this episode will give you a real look at how that weekend course can be for anyone interested in learning more about the CrossFit methodology, regardless of where you are on your fitness journey. Both of my guests this week,...

My guest on the Podcast this week is Megan Vogel! Megan is an Assistant Coach for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, and she is also an Everyday CrossFitter at CrossFit North Scottsdale in Phoenix, AZ. In this episode, you will hear about Megan's basketball journey and how strength development helped her achieve her dream of being drafted to play in the WNBA. After injuries shortened her playing...

We've all dealt with adversity, right? We've all had things happen to us that we didn't expect, and honestly, would not wish to happen to others? The real question behind that is, how did we respond to those things when they did happen? What did we do to adapt to the reality of the situation? This week's guest is Katie Rambo, and her story is about how she responded to the adversit...

Every single year, hundreds of thousands of CrossFitters around the world register for the CrossFit Open and participate in this annual test of fitness. While it is the first stage for athletes to eventually qualify for the CrossFit Games, for the vast majority of those involved, the Open is the only stage of the competition they will compete in. So the question is, now that the Open is over, what...

*THIS EPISODE IS A RE-BROADCAST OF EPISODE 0* Why I Started This Podcast | Everyday CrossFit Stories Welcome to the very first episode of the Silverback MediaPodcast — a podcast and YouTube series dedicated to telling real stories from real people in CrossFit gyms. This intro episode shares the heart behind this project — why I started it, who it’s for, and what you can expect going forward. My go...

What if you and your partner were completely on the same page around the importance of health and fitness? What if that partner was, not only your biggest supporter, but walking the path with you every step of the way? That describes my guests on the show this week, Reece Ellsworth & Sara Thomas. Reece & Sara are members are CrossFit North Scottsdale and have been involved in CrossFit for a number...

We are two months into 2026. How are those fitness goals and New Year's resolutions going for you? If you're reading this, and have already fallen off the tracks, or feel stuck with your progress, then this episode is for you. Kaitlyn Kenna Smith and I share the keys to properly tracking your progress to keep you in the game and on the path towards your fitness and health goals. We talk ab...

My guest this week is Geo Ortega, better known as the "Scaled Athlete" on Instagram! Geo is an Everyday CrossFitter in Virginia, and has been consistently doing CrossFit since the beginning of 2024, when he was challenged to try it and fell in love with it. In this episode, we talk through Geo's backstory before he found CrossFit. We go over: - What it was like for Geo to grow up spl...

This week's guest is a 3x Master's CrossFit Games athlete, and CF-L2 coach, Lon Allen! While Lon has qualified for the Games 3 times, and competed twice, his fitness story leading up to that point is a story of persevering through hardship and finding purpose in the failures along the way. We talk about Lon's physical background and how he got started in fitness in early adulthood afte...

In this week's episode, host Marco Mejia is joined by Saira Costo, an Everyday CrossFitter who is a member at CrossFit North Scottsdale in Phoenix, AZ. Saira was the winner of the 2025 Fall Nutrition Challenge that was run by Untapped Nutrition, so she joins to share her experience in the challenge, including her results, the major lessons and takeaways, and how learning to give herself grace...

"This is the year I'm finally going to start exercising." "I'm finally going to start eating better."Do you find yourself getting stuck with the same resolution every year? Each new year, telling yourself the "New Year, New Me" story without it actually sticking? Then this episode is for you. With years of coaching experience, Kaitlyn Kenna Smith and Marco Mej...

In this episode of the Silverback Media Podcast , host Marco Mejia sits down with Brad Schmidgall to talk about how CrossFit reshaped not just his fitness, but his approach to work, balance, and long-term sustainability in his career. Brad shares how his professional life was largely driven by intensity, output, and constant forward momentum — traits that served him well at work but eventually rev...

In this episode of the Silverback Media Podcast , host Marco Mejia sits down with a group of experienced CrossFit coaches, Jennifer Libby, Rocky DiPalma, and Courtney Samudio (all previous guests on the Podcast) for a candid, behind-the-scenes conversation about how workouts are actually scaled in real classes — not just on the whiteboard, but in the moment, athlete by athlete. The coaches walk th...

Jennifer Jones joins Marco Mejia on the Silverback Media Podcast to share her experiences that led her to CrossFit including a cancer diagnosis and multiple surgeries. We hear how those events completely changed the way she views strength, fitness, and success over the long-term. This episode isn’t about pushing harder — it’s about adapting honestly. Jennifer talks about what drew her to CrossFit,...

In this solo episode of the Silverback Media Podcast , host Marco Mejia shares a timely New Year’s message for CrossFit coaches and CrossFitters at every stage of their journey — from first-time gym drop-ins to long-time members resetting their goals. Marco addresses the pressure that often comes with the start of a new year: big resolutions, unrealistic expectations, and the urge to go “all in” o...

Henry Huang joins Marco Mejia on the Silverback Media Podcast for an honest conversation about his journey through nearly every role CrossFit has to offer — athlete, coach, and affiliate owner. Henry shares why he believes CrossFit can be a "social anchor" for members in search of a community. The shared beliefs of CrossFitters around the world can serve members way beyond the benefits o...

On this week’s episode of the Silverback Media Podcast, Marco Mejia is joined by Shaylee Williams, also known as the Unfiltered Fit Mom on Instagram. In this episode, Shaylee shares how she found, and fell in love with, Crossfit and how it has taught her to believe in herself. She also shares stories and opportunities that she have been opened to her through her content creation and building her p...

In this episode of the Silverback Media Podcast , host Marco Mejia sits down with Katie Nelson , a member of CrossFit North Scottsdale , to talk about her journey from growing up constantly on the move to finally finding a sense of belonging — and confidence — through CrossFit. Katie shares how skiing and self-directed fitness shaped her early years, how college group classes gave her her first ta...

In this episode of the Silverback Media Podcast , host Marco Mejia breaks down one of the most misunderstood aspects of CrossFit: the idea that CrossFit is only for elite athletes . Marco walks through what scalability really means, why it’s the backbone of CrossFit methodology, and how anyone — at any age, any fitness level, and with any limitation — can participate safely and effectively. From w...

In this episode of the Silverback Media Podcast , host Marco Mejia talks with David Phillips , a retired U.S. Navy veteran embarking on one of the most ambitious and inspiring endurance missions ever attempted; The Grand Explorer's Crown — also known as Project 327 . David’s goal is to become the first documented person in history to complete this challenge combining the Triple Crown of U.S. H...