#wegotgoals

On this episode of #WeGotGoals, DeCoons relives his journey with The Bar Method - from acquiring it to leading it to selling it to Self Esteem Brands. He shares the bumps in the roads and what it took to realize his strengths as a leader. Here’s what you’ll hear in this #WeGotGoals episode: 4:25: How Jay's time at the Private Equity firm Summit Partners was his training ground to understand entrepreneurship 5:55: Jay describes a big goal he accomplished in the past and the journey to acquire and run The Bar method with a group of private investors. 7:40: Jay speaks to his experience at YogaWorks and how it helped him to understand what it takes to run a successful studio - everything from knowing P&L to creating relationships across the industry like the one he built with Burr Leonard, founder of The Bar Method. . 8:50: Jay shares his take on networking and relationships, "Just trust in doing the right thing and where you can be helpful and it can lead to amazing opportunities down the road that you

Chances are, if you've been a runner, a cyclist, or even a studio fitness-er for a decent amount of time, you've battled injury at some point. In their new book Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, Carrie Jackson Cheadle and Cindy Kuzma address not just the physical side of recovering from injury, but also the mental side. Calling this a book doesn't do it justice, though; Rebound is really more of a resource and a workbook, with nearly 50 thought-provoking exercises included that are designed to give the reader tangible ways to mentally rebound from injury to come back better, faster, and stronger. Listen to this episode to hear all about how Cheadle and Kuzma came up with the concept of the book, how they made the most of the injured athletes community while writing the book, and of course, what their big goals are for the future. Here's what you'll hear in this #WeGotGoals episode: 4:26: How a sports psychology class in undergrad led Carrie to realize the strategies discu

Tune in to aSweatLife’s channels (like our podcast, Instagram, or the blog; wherever you like to connect – we’re there) and you’ll hear us talk about goals or goal setting in some capacity. To put it lightly, we heart them, big time. But especially with the aSweatLife Ambassador program (which you can read more about applying to here!) our conversation is driven by goals. Every year, after we open the Ambassador application and welcome in a new crew of goal getters, we kick off the year by explaining that this isn’t just a group of people who like to work out. This is a group of people who are here to go on a journey, to set big goals, say them out loud, and help every other face in the crowd go after their goals too. It’s essentially a giant support system in setting and achieving big, scary goals. And we’d be hypocrites if we didn’t set some big ones on our own. That’s why this hostful podcast episode, led by Jeana Anderson Cohen and Maggie Umberger of aSweatLife, takes a closer look at the BHAGs we set for

There’s a chill in the air, a blue line down the street, and Grant Park is getting stocked up with Porta-Potties. That can only mean one thing: It’s Chicago Marathon week! As 40,000 runners prepare to travel 26.2 miles around Chicago this Sunday, three of your #WeGotGoals co-hosts—Kristen, Cindy, and Jeana—sat down and relived some of our marathon memories … the highs, the lows, and everything in between. It turns out, running produces both highly hilarious moments and deep revelations that shape the way we live our lives. And—perhaps this is what we in journalism call “burying the lead”—we also had the chance to chat with two very special guests. Jillian Bell is the star, and Paul Downs Colaizzo the writer and director, of the film “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” playing in Chicago now. They share some of their big goals and talk more about the lessons of the film. Check out this episode to hear: All about our first marathons: 1:14 How our motivations changed as we pursued this big goal: 4:48 The funniest

Talking to Anna Renderer, host of a milion POPSUGAR Fitness videos you've no doubt seen and sweated to on YouTube, is a weird cross between feeling like you're being hugged and feeling like you're getting a shot of adrenaline straight to the goal-getting part of your brain. She exclaims, she gushes, she lets you in on her secrets—and you're left with a completely different mindset on your goals on to-do list. I met Renderer in August at the MINDBODY Bold Conference, where we sat for an interview before she took the stage as a presenter. After our conversation, I knew we needed to get her on the #WeGotGoals podcast, and Renderer was more than game, especially once she heard the theme was Better, Faster, Stronger. "I'm ALL about that!" I distinctly remember her saying in a tone of voice that was equivalent to a fist pump. And after hearing more about her background in high performance and the clarity with which she sets her goals, it's clear to me why Renderer is so successful. She told me herself: she's got th

An epic fail at work. A blowout with—even a split from—the love of your life. A life-altering piece of medical news. Every day, people carry all this—and more—into spin studios in Chicago and around the country. Inside those walls, they seek an hour or so of peace, of active meditation. “You’re riding to the rhythm of the music, you’re sweaty, you’re working really hard,” Tevia Celli told me on this week’s episode of #WeGotGoals. “You walk into a class and you've got all this stuff on your mind; you’re weighted. Somewhere, pedal stroke after pedal stroke, you're letting that go and becoming present.” Few people understand this transformational process better than Celli. Back in 1998, she opened one of the very first spin studios, Body & Soul, in Los Angeles. She ran it for more than a decade, then stayed in the business to work as a master instructor at Flywheel and then an independent consultant. Now, she’s the Director of Education at CycleBar Franchising, where she trains and develops a team of 1,800-p

Erin Oprea arrived at 10:59:59 am on the morning of our #WeGotGoals recording. Scheduled for 11 am, I noted how punctual she was, despite the fact she walked all the way from the opposite side of town to get the our recording studio. Over the next hour, I grew increasingly impressed by Erin, a personal trainer to stars like Kacey Musgraves and Carrie Underwood, author of The 4x4 Diet, and expert in virtual training, recipe planning and sold out workout tours across the U.S. [Love Erin Oprea already and want to work out with her in Chicago? She's visiting this weekend for THREE workout opportunities—click here to learn more!] In fact, Erin is one of those people you just want to know everything about once you meet her and learn a few key things about her. Like the fact that she was a Marine, and made history when she was appointed to lead the first female platoon attached to the infantry in a war zone. This fact is likely a major contributor to the next most fascinating thing I found out when chatting with Eri

"I’m so far ahead of the curve, I made the curve," Sue Hitzmann said as I asked her about trends in the fitness space and how she carved out a niche where none existed. And if you listen closely enough on this week's episode of #WeGotGoals, you can hear me reflexively snap my fingers at the sound of that unadulterated swagger. That confidence grew from a few factors that Hitzmann talks through - paving her own path, spreading the knowledge she'd earned, and learning to listen to and hone her gut. And if you're not familiar with the method she created yet, you will be soon. The MELT Method® is Hitzmann's brain child. It's a simple self-treatment designed to help you and your muscles stay healthy, youthful, and active for a lifetime. At its core, it can be termed a recovery method, one of the top trends we saw going into 2019, but you'll hear from Hitzmann, there's more to it than that. Carving her own unique path As a Freshman at NYU, Hitzmann started her college education focused on TV and Film, but kept co

They stand guard over our water supply, ensure the seafood we take from it is sustainable, and produce yoga mats, socks, skin care, and more in environmentally and socially conscious ways. The guests we welcomed to #WeGotGoals for our recent segment on creating a better earth inspired us with their passion and creativity. While climate change remains *the* challenge of our time, we’re grateful to them for their efforts to address it. As Jeana, Kristen, Maggie, and I explain on this week’s hostful episode, these goal-getters reminded us that every small action counts. For one thing, tiny steps collectively produce bigger changes. What’s more, these shifts to our routines encourage us to be more mindful about our place in the world around us. We share the recommendations for everyday action that resonated with us, including: Connecting with the natural world so you’re more aware and conscious of your place in it Considering what resources you can share, rather than having to own individually, from clothes to c

Ten minutes before my interview with Ryan Horwath of Sitka Salmon Shares, I looked at my list of questions and bolded the one that I felt was most important to a gripping interview: ASK HIM ABOUT THE FISH TUBE. The fish tube, in case you weren't on the Internet over the last couple of weeks, is basically what it sounds like: a video of fisherman placing salmon into a giant pneumatic tube that shoots them over a dam, thus shortening their migration from days to minutes. And for whatever reason, it spawned a ton of viral content, as the Internet is wont to do (this version was my favorite). So, you could say I had some hard-hitting stuff planned. In all seriousness, I was really excited to talk to Horwath about how Sitka Salmon Shares works to prevent overfishing by connecting Alaskan fishermen to consumers in the mainland. As a member of the board of directors for Sitka Salmon Shares, Horwath knows a ton about the fishing industry and all the sustainability issues that are top-of-mind at the moment; he also se

As is common with a lot of small businesses, Gabe Kennedy and his co-founder Hudson Gaines-Ross launched Plant People with a few thousand dollars in their pockets. With unique individual backgrounds and a shared interest in holistic healing after both endured serious injuries, they decided to create Plant People. But in opening up the conversation with Gabe about Plant People on this episode of #WeGotGoals, I quickly got the sense we were going to be talking about much more than CBD droplets, capsules and balms. For Gabe, using natural, holistic methods to heal after his spine injury was a no-brainer. But throughout his long road to recovery, he realized just how unique his story was. His parents are herbalists and acupuncturists, so Gabe grew up around the concept of natural medicine. And his love for natural, delicious, home-cooked food had him cooking at age 14. He graduated at the top of his class at the Culinary Institute of America. But where does that lead one to starting a business like Plant People?

We play volleyball on the beach and stand-up paddle board in the lake, run miles and drink rosé along the Riverwalk. This spring, storms sprung up approximately every other day, saturating us (May was the wettest on record, since we began keeping track in 1871). It’s easy, in Chicago, to take water for granted—we’re surrounded by it. But Debra Shore, a commissioner at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago since 2006, cautions us against this carelessness, especially in the face of climate change. On this week’s episode of #WeGotGoals, Shore implores us to be more thoughtful about how we use and protect this vital resource. After all, our bodies are made up of 50 to 60 percent water, and there are more humans than ever to soak it all up. “There are no substitutes for fresh water and it's the substance on which almost all life depends,” she said. “Whether we are good stewards or not is going to be increasingly important in the future.” If you’re wondering exactly what the Metropolitan W

Ben Katz is the co-founder of Haven Co-Living, a concept that allows like-minded people to live together in beautiful multi-million dollar homes just six blocks from Venice Beach in California. The amenities abound in these stunning homes, but the bedrooms are shared at an affordable monthly rate of $1,000 by yogis, Soul Cycle instructors, and nurses. While the name “co-living” may be new, it’s really a rebrand of a concept that’s been around since nearly the dawn of time, known by other names like "village," "commune," or "family." This gathering of like-minded humans who are health and wellness professionals, Katz and his team hypothesize, will create financial freedom and opportunity in large cities. Haven will hone its focus in on cities “where the rent-to-income ratio is 35 percent or higher,” allowing future residents of Haven to have a “safe and secure place to live that doesn’t make you keep a job you hate.” I can’t imagine a single 20-something who didn’t just consider sharing a bedroom for that kind

There's a level of trust necessary for committing to a hair stylist. Not only does the stylist have to know his or her stuff, but you have to feel comfortable enough around him or her for both long, awkward silences and heart-to-heart conversations you never thought you'd have while wearing a full-body cape around your neck. And sure, "hair grows out," eventually, but try telling that to my twelve-year-old self after that one time the stylist cut my bangs distressingly short—if I'd felt an instant connection with my stylist and felt comfortable putting the kibosh on those bangs, maybe I wouldn't have had to wear a baseball cap for the entire summer. That familiarity is hard to achieve in person, and even harder to simulate over a podcast phone line—but as soon as I dialed in with Sarah Potempa, Erin Potempa-Wall, and Emily Potempa, I felt like I was in the friendliest, most uplifting salon of my life, with three hair fairy godmothers constantly affirming how awesome we all were. (And this was after 20+ minute

In a culture hyper focused on health, wellness, and overall wellbeing, we're inundated with "organic" this and "100% natural" that. It would almost be more strange to read a label that didn't tout some kind of eco-friendly or health-conscious accreditation. But for Town and Anchor, the labels behind the brand's namesake stand for much more than just keeping up with the Jones's. I sat down with Parisa Morris, co-founder of Town and Anchor, for this episode of #WeGotGoals. While in the interview, I got a glimpse behind the curtain of a business that aims to truly walk the walk when it comes to setting industry standards for sustainability and health. Town and Anchor is an all-natural, vegan, zero waste skincare company based out of Chicago, created on the premise of creating a much-needed change in the beauty industry. Morris founded the company alongside her husband five years ago very nearly by accident, which you'll hear Morris talk more about in the episode. One of my favorite moments of the interview? The

Each goal-getter and how they set out to to achieve big things is as unique as his or her own fingerprint. Nothing has been made clearer by interviewing more than 100 people about this very subject for our podcast #WeGotGoals than this point. And for Emmett Williams, President and Partner at MyZone, goal setting runs through his veins and is both his currency and his love language. His currency: In MyZone's Chicago office - the largest of several across the globe - I sat across from Williams as he spoke fluent Goal. He rattled off resources, goal-setting theories by CEOs from Fortune 500 companies, and used "BHAG" as a noun as comfortably as we do at the aSweatLife offices. MyZone is a company built on a foundation of goals for goal oriented gyms and studios with metrics-minded members. Today, MyZone can be found in more than 6,000 health clubs and studios and it's being used by more than one million consumers across the world. Ask Williams if he's satisfied with that, and he'll share that MyZone's "BHAG is

A good mani leaves you feeling polished, strong, and put-together—ready to face whatever challenges the day brings you. But often, the process of procuring it poses a conundrum. You could go for a high-end service at a swanky spa, if you have the cash and spare time. Or, you might choose an inexpensive yet inefficient neighborhood spot that leaves you feeling vaguely icky about the inequity between customers and employees—especially in light of a brutal New York Times expose several years ago that detailed horrific labor conditions in the industry. Our guests this week on the #WeGotGoals podcast, ezza nails co-founders Ale Breuer and Kim Marsh, are passionate about changing this situation for everyone involved—driving, as Marsh has put it, “the nail care revolution.” Breuer and Marsh joined me in the studio, fresh from opening their second location and closing their seed-round funding of $1.5 million, to share how they’re creating a better earth by improving conditions for the women living on it. From the

As a college student, Michael Mader never thought he'd start a business that would seek to end homelessness for youths on a city-wide and nation-wide scale. But then again, he also didn't foresee a traumatic brain injury that would require an emotional and financial support system for months on end, either. As Mader told me on this episode of #WeGotGoals, "I was unable to go to school, I was unable to work, and had to heavily rely on my support group - so family and friends that were there for me to drive me to my doctor's appointments, to help me with grocery shopping, cover rent, as well as emotional support - I recognized that without that group of people I could have easily ended up being homeless." It took a scary turn of events to force Mader to see a terrible reality for many others - especially young people -  who have similar situations and don't have that same network of support to fall back on. This was his inspiration, his drive, to do something about that reality and create real, tangible change.

"Why are you guys obsessed with eating crickets?" "This is a weird IG story." "Gross." "

When we kicked off Season 3 of #WeGotGoals, we set out to walk the walk by setting small goals within each quarter of this goal-focused podcast to curate guests who are doing big things in the areas which we care most about. For instance, over the last few months we brought community building to the forefront of our goal focus. We interviewed grassroots community developers like the founder of Sofar Sounds and community director of Girls Night In. We brought guests like Shanna Missett Nelson, President of Jazzercise, and Bonnie Michele and Tracy Roemer who started Shred415 together, onto the podcast to talk about scaling a small community into a global phenomenon. We caught up with professional adventurer Hilaree Nelson about the role community plays in going after big solo goals, and Coss Marte, founder of ConBody, on the meaning of community after solitary confinement. And as we head into the next quarter, we're just as excited for our next round-up of guests and the theme we're setting major goals to focus