We’ll Take it From Here with Joe

This week, we are back with another JitZone episode!  As referenced in the title, we speak about what jiu-jitsu or martial arts means to us.  We also shared the responses of some listeners, as well.   If you train, you are well aware that BJJ/Martial Arts are more than just fighting.  Whether it be for self-defense, a sense of comradery, to persevere, a boost in self-confi...

This week we took a trip to Yoga Odyssey in Somerville, New Jersey and spoke with its owner/founder, Zachy Christodoulou.  Yoga Odyssey is not your typical yoga studio, in fact, it's more of a community where people come to build friendships while practicing what they love.  In this episode, you can really feel Zachy's love of life, her family, and her students.  Zachy shares how sh...

This week we had a blast as we sat down with Joe Farina.  Joe is a resident of Morris County, a lifelong martial artist, and police officer in which he holds the rank of Sargent, however his most proud accomplishment is that of being a Father and Husband.  We spoke about his career in law enforcement, his love for martial arts, and his philosophy on life which includes having a positive...

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing our friend, Al Cuccinello.  Al is a father, husband, BJJ/Judo practitioner, salesman, and a lover of adventures.  In this episode, we learned about Al's past and how it had a tremendous impact on his current success.  Although Al is a BJJ brown-belt, Judo green-belt, and has a successful career and family, it was not always this way. &nb...

Today we bring you a new segment to the We'll Take It from Here podcast called JitZone.  As the name implies, JitZone covers all things Jiu-Jitsu related, which we feel will bring a neat dynamic to the show since many listeners are part of the community.  The goal of the segment is to bring light to the sport and martial arts in general.  In the first episode, we speak about our Jiu...

This week we had a conversation with our friend Phil McEntee of Rockaway, New Jersey.  Phil is a father, Jiu-Jitsu practitioner / coach, entrepreneur, and most importantly, a great human being.  Phil's story is an interesting one as at the age of thirty-five (he is now in his forties), he performed a self-assessment and, as Jordan Peterson would describe, decided to "burn the dead wood"...

Today we bring another duo episode in which we chop it up about a couple of topics.  First, we chat about Don's successful surgery to fix a hernia he had for a while.  Amazingly, you would have never known if he did not mention it because of his ability to stay disciplined in the gym and in Jiu-Jitsu.  Goes to show you that the mind is a powerful tool.  We then move on to provi...

This week we are joined by Joe's good friend Remo D'Alessandro.  Remo grew up in Totowa, New Jersey to an Italian family and resided in Passaic County for the majority of his life.  Remo has served (and currently serves) his community in various roles within law enforcement.  He is extremely outgoing, nice, respectful, and has a reputation for being the fun guy.  This made the...

We welcome back to the show our great friend, Matt Ciecwicz.  Matt was initially a guest on episode eight (which we highly recommend that you listen if not already) in which we spoke about leadership tactics, political events, and more.  This time we took a slightly different approach, and Matt was able to recount some awesome stories of his time as a Private Investigator, which he can d...

This week, we are joined by Joe's extremely close friends, Paul Mouhtis and Mike Isley.  Paul and Mike grew up in Morris County and have been friends since high school where they formed their band "Days Break In", along with two other friends.  Since then, Mike has gone on to form two other bands such as: "Michael Isley Band" and "GLMR" (both on Spotify), and Paul fell in love with Brazi...

Today marks an incredible milestone as we record episode 50, and what better way to do it than to discuss what is going on in the world! I think it's safe to say that our world seems like a really bizarre movie; some may say it's a bit of a Twilight Zone and we would agree.  We discuss the issues such as Zelenksy/Ukraine, the CIA's involvement in the JFK assassination, the two-party system, and mo...

This week's episode was a banger as we were joined by our friends, Andy and Mikey Main, aka "The Main Brothers".  The Main Brothers were born and raised in Morris County New Jersey and are the founders/owners of Pure Mixed Martial Arts, the largest MMA gym in New Jersey, franchisees of Playa Bowl, and founders of their most recent entrepreneurial venture, Honest Supplements.  In addition...

This week we are joined by Joe's great friend, Scott Cooper.  Scott is a resident of Morris County, a mechanical engineer, and a father and husband to a beautiful son and wife.  Scott believes that confidence is the fundamental key to a fulfilling life.  Scott loves to live life on the edge and challenge himself daily.  This is demonstrated by his ice climbing adventures; heari...

This week we speak from the heart about our purpose in life and what are mission is on this Earth.  Money, big goals, dream jobs, etc. are all great things, but have you ever thought about WHY you want those things? We provide examples from our current lives which made for an honest and real conversation and allowed us to come to a realization about what we should do going forward. As Don say...

Week 46 brings another duo episode in which we have a bro conversation about the World Cup, Balenciaga and some news regarding the death of yet another CEO/Founder of crypto.  This will make you think for sure.  We end with some questions from you guys!  Thanks for your questions they get better each week.  Enjoy.

On episode 45, we interviewed Joe's friend from Pure MMA, Matt Stavrakis.  There may not be enough space to detail how awesome this episode was, however, we will give you the summary here.  We speak about Jiu-jitsu, life, and politics (from a current events perspective).  This show was a blast and we could have definitely gone for 10 hours if we wanted.  Matt provides great poi...

This week we chop it up with Don's good friend, Ryan Cooling, who interestingly enough met through Instagram.  You'll want to hear more about that on the show.  Ryan is the owner of "What Dent?" Paintless Dent Removal, has owned multiple businesses throughout his entrepreneurship journey, and is now breaking in to the Strongman space with his "Southern Illinois Strength Expo" business. &...

In this week's episode we welcome back Todd Lyons, who was originally on the show back in March.  A lot has changed for Todd since then and for better as demonstrated by the following: getting engaged, completing a half-marathon, and taking first place in a bodybuilding competition!  We delve into all of those topics and have Todd walk us through his experience for each.  We also ha...

This week, we sit down with Joe's friend Anthony Bongiovanni.  Anthony shares his journey of becoming an EMT/Paramedic, along with his interest in Martial Arts such as Karate, in which he holds a rank of Black belt and Jiu-Jitsu.  Anthony's story is an example of the saying we have reiterated for weeks now, which is "the more you do the more you get to do"; this relates to the origins of...

After a month straight of awesome guests, we are back to the duo set-up for week 41.  Do not worry, we plan to have some great guests in the coming weeks so stay tuned.  This week we have some fun conversations and reminisce a bit.  We also answer some of your questions live on air, which sparked some great conversations.  We plan to do more of that so keep your eyes peeled eve...

In this week's episode, we interviewed our friend Justin "Gerky" Gerkhardt.  Justin is a New Jersey native and collegiate wrestler for Centenary University, who comes from a hardworking family.  We speak about his wrestling career and the positive impact it has on his mental discipline.  Justin preaches being humble off the mats however, when it's all set and done, he is ready to go...

Today, we are joined by Erin Cymerman.  Erin is the fiancé of Todd Lyons, Don's friend and our second guest on the show.  Erin speaks about her journey as a powerlifter and equestrian and the positive impact it has had on her life.  Erin dives into the challenges and intricacies of both areas and how her training in powerlifting helped her career as an equestrian.  We also lear...

This week we are joined by our friend Mike Jay Kuzma "Jaykuzz" to speak about his life as a competitor.  Jaykuzz is an American Ninja Warrior athlete and a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who strives to be the best.  Jaykuzz believes that anything is possible in life as long as you put in the effort and believe in yourself.  He also believes that there is no such thing as overtraining as lon...

Today we are joined by an honorary member of the Magone family, Chrissy Kanach.  Chrissy is the best friend of Joe's sister's and joins us to chat about her journey and why it is okay to change your career path more than once.  Chrissy is outgoing, extroverted, and does not settle for something in which she is not fully invested.  This mindset has allowed her to go against the norm...

In episode 36 we start out on the topic of jealousy and why it's important to stop yourself from feeling it.  We offer some ways on how we combat jealousy when it's encountered.  Naturally, this was not the only topic we focused on.  Rather, we shifted gears to the issue of "victim hood" in our society.  We emphasize how anyone of any gender / race can accomplish his/her dream...