#wegotgoals

  Thirteen years ago, when Augie Nieto learned he had the progressive neuromuscular disease ALS, he and his wife Lynne were told to put his affairs in order. Most people live only two to five years after diagnosis, as their brains lose touch with their bodies and their muscles atrophy. But Augie—who founded exercise equipment company Life Fitness in 1977—wasn’t one to simply accept his fate. First, as Lynne explains on this week’s episode of #WeGotGoals, the couple “tried to find somebody that would tell us we didn’t have ALS,” she says. “We traveled the country to the ALS specialists all over and unfortunately got the same answer six more times.” Once reality set in, Augie was devastated. Lynne became his caregiver, a role that nearly overwhelmed her. But eventually, it became clear Augie just might beat the grim statistics. Over time, Augie and Lynne found balance and a new purpose: Curing the disease that threatened to kill him. Because ALS affects the muscles in his mouth and diaphragm, Augie can no lo

This episode is presented by Chicago Sport and Social Club, reminding you that summer is just around the corner. Get into a summer volleyball league now and use code "GOALS" to get 5 percent off until March 15. It's no secret that we're majorly in awe of the ladies of Stylisted — after all, this isn't the first time we've talked (okay, gushed) about co-founders Julia and Lauren on aSweatLife. But when we brought them into evolveHER to be interviewed during our Lunch-and-Learn live podcast recordings, we were reminded all over again why these ladies have inspired us so much in the first place. Seeing them speak in front of an all-female audience (many of whom had entrepreneurial inclinations) was nothing short of a kick in the pants to go after what you want. Another thing that really came through over the microphone was the true teamwork and friendship that acts as the foundation of Stylisted. "The partnership is our business," Lauren stated matter-of-factly. "It was in the very beginning and it is to this da

Sick, tired, lonely and lost. That's the point where Jessica Zweig, founder and CEO of the SimplyBe Agency knew her path with Cheeky Chicago had ended and something needed to change. The story of changing paths - especially when it means shuttering something that's gained public recognition the way that Cheeky Chicago had - may be a topic that some guests on our podcast #WeGotGoals would avoid. But for Zweig, her willingness to share this journey was the perfect mix of authentic emotion and magic for the live audience in attendance for our recording of this episode during January's #SweatworkingWeek. Zweig shared the inception and co-founding of the online lifestyle magazine that gave women nightlife, restaurant and lifestyle tips as well as deals and events in Chicago. Behind the events, the nights out and the years of hard work, Zweig told the audience that she was suffering during what should have been high moments. "I ran cheeky for six and a half years and I was really burnt out by the end," Zweig said.

Kurt Seidensticker wasn't always obsessed with collagen. In fact, before he founded Vital Proteins, he worked at NASA, training astronauts and designing missions, developed cell phone networks, helped create the first internet in the mid- to late-90s and started a fresh-caught fish and steak eCommerce business. Everything he learned in these endeavors when coupled with chronic pain in his joints, led him to start the clean collagen company that's quickly evolved into a lifestyle brand. "I suddenly recognized that everything I had done, all the goals I had set in my life before ... I had this epiphany that I was built for this," Seidensticker told me in front of our very first live audience recording of #WeGotGoals. "This was my purpose. This is what all my other goals culminated in." Vital Proteins' portfolio of clean, minimally-processed products spans from creamers to bone broths to beauty waters, and from matchas to protein powders to supplements. It's hard to believe that only five years ago, Seidensticke

Todd Uterstaedt interacts with high-powered leaders all day, guiding them as they build their teams, create their company culture, and practice the productivity hacks that help them transform from founders to CEOs. But ask the founder/CEO coach and "From Founder to CEO"podcast host just how he stays focused on his priorities as he juggles a family and demanding clients, and his answer may surprise you: pool walking. Yup, you read that right. Uterstaedt's secret to being a high achiever hinges upon whether he can get to his local pool and unplug for an hour while walking laps. "Productivity and mental clarity are intimately connected,"Uterstaedt explained to me. "You have to exercise, right? You have to do things that give your mind peace and clarity so that you know the single biggest thing to do as it relates to productivity, which is appropriately prioritize. "You can't prioritize things if your mind is racing and you haven't given your mind the opportunity to be clear about exactly who you are, exactly wh

Athletes spend their lives fighting for a spot in a field of 2,000 triathletes in the most grueling competition on Earth. Their prize? Thrashing through a 2.4 mile open-water swim in the Pacific, fighting trade winds and a convection oven of heat on a 112-mile bike and finishing with a marathon - a 26.2-mile run. Becoming an IRONMAN at the World Championships at Kona wasn't a dream of Jen Ator's. As Fitness Director at Women's Health and author of The Women's Health Fitness Fix, she was happy to fit runs through Manhattan and no-nonsense strength-training workouts into her busy days. That all changed when reps from Chocolate Milk called with an offer to make her an IRONMAN. And while she said it took her a few days to accept the branid's invitation - an invitation to compete in a race that allows athletes 17 hours to finish - she now counts it as the goal she's proudest of accomplishing. Alongside her on the journey to Kona that she details on this week's episode of #WeGotGoals was an all-star cast. Eight-t

Before Yael Shy wrote What Now: Meditation For Your Twenties and Beyond, she founded MindfulNYU, the largest campus-wide mindfulness initiative in the country. It's hard to imagine a time when Shy struggled with meditation, but to hear her tell the story of accomplishing this big goal, being mindful wasn't always easy. Shy had reservations about meditation when she was first introduced to the practice in college. But a few factors during Shy's years at NYU led her to feel she was lacking the tools to cope with her stress; anxiety from 9/11, a break-up and her parents' divorce made Shy hunt for a solution. Everything changed when she decided to go on a meditation retreat. "It transformed my life," Shy explains. "It helped me see the roots of a lot of what my anxiety was built on." From that retreat, Shy grew her own practice. In 2009, she co-launched MindfulNYU as a small group that met to meditate. Every week, that group's numbers increased and today it's become something special. Mindful NYU offers classes e

Oprah herself may be mulling a bid for the presidency—but if you’re looking for the next Oprah, look no further than this week’s episode of #WeGotGoals. Taylor Rooks is only 25, but she’s already a sports journalist and anchor in the number-one market in the country. She has her own podcast, Time Out with Taylor Rooks, where she’s interviewed the likes of Kevin Durant, John Wall, and Snoop Dogg. And she knows what she wants for the future—a talk show on which she’d have real conversations in the style of Ms. Winfrey or of Barbara Walters. “I always think of Barbara Walters’ Whitney Houston interview. The way she spoke to her and the way that Whitney opened up … you leave that thinking, whatever you think of Whitney, you felt like you understood it more,” she told me. “I wish to one day be able to do something like that.” If her past performance is any indicator, Rooks will go for that goal with full gusto. She set her sights on sports journalism early and spent her college years at the University of Ill

"Meddling," my husband said after consulting dictionary.com to try to settle an argument, "is a bad thing." I put my headphones back on, not acknowledging what he considered a win. Sure, a meddler isn't invited to address an issue, but that doesn't mean she can't help make it better with her unique skills. After meeting Maaria Mozaffar - civil rights attorney, policy drafter and author of More Than Pretty - who describes herself as a "meddler," I can't help but see the descriptor as good. "I think everybody has the ability to have empathy and step in others' shoes, but not everybody pays attention to it," Mozaffar told me on this week’s episode of #WeGotGoals. "I paid attention to it since childhood ... that it made me very satisfied." And as we conversed our way through her accomplishments for the podcast, Mozaffar shared how her natural draw towards helping others shaped her life. Mozaffar saw a future in which she would use her powers of meddling as an attorney, to ensure justice for those who couldn’t al

In 2004, then-18-year-old sprinter Allyson Felix went to the Athens Olympics aiming to win gold in the 200-meter dash—and took silver to Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell. In Beijing in 2008, the two lined up for a rematch, with the same result. But Felix never took her eyes off the ultimate target, an individual gold medal in the 200 meters. In 2012, she finally achieved it. Of all her accomplishments—her eight other Olympic medals (including five other golds), her 11 World Championship victories—that one holds the most meaning, she told me on this week’s episode of #WeGotGoals. “It was eight years of being dedicated and sacrificing and having doubts—you know, is this ever going to come together?” she said. “So being able to accomplish that goal represented so much for myself, and also all the people who supported me.” Few mortals can even fathom the type of success Felix has seen in her sport. How is it even possible, I asked her, to work toward goals that are so audacious, so otherworldly? Her answer: one day, o

File this one under "things you don't want to hear while recording a podcast entitled #WeGotGoals": We've actually stopped using the word "goal" at The Junto Institute. "Cool, cool," I thought to myself, as I mentally face-palmed during my interview with Raman Chadha of The Junto Institute. "This is fine. Everything is fine." Chuckling a little at my dismay, Chadha went on to explain that his team had shifted towards using the word "priority" in place of goal. They'd found that their apprentices viewed goals as "far out in the distance," while priorities had a greater connotation of urgency, and gave their apprentices something to work on that very day. The language nerd in me sat with that thought for the rest of the day, debating the hidden meanings of goal versus priority, and how using one word over the other shifted your focus on a daily, weekly or annual basis. It's what I call a "fuzzy concept" - an idea that you can grasp, but that doesn't always have tangible, actionable deliverables attached to it.

What makes you happy? What makes you unhappy? What habits would you like to improve? What and who are you grateful for in your life? What is your definition of success? Not part of your average checklist or daily to-do's, but questions like these make up the Happiness Roadmap as outlined in Mo Seetubtim's Happiness Planner. Seetubtim asked the readers of her personal blog for input about what would help them in their everyday lives. Their overwhelming answer was help to find and feel happiness daily. "A lot wanted to learn how they could be more positive and happier, and I thought this was so interesting," Seetubtim shares. "There are so many books out there about happiness and positive thinking, but it's not like something you can just read and change overnight. It requires practice. You need to practice the new way of thinking, of doing, over and over and over until your mind is trained." And thus sparked the idea of The Happiness Planner, a daily journal and planner with gratitude and positive thinking at

"I do believe that at the core, people feel something different about barry's - because it is different," Joey Gonzalez, CEO of Barry's Bootcamp said as we sat surrounded by the glass walls of his West Hollywood office, talking about the future of the company. Just down the street, you'll find where Barry Jay created the first Barry's Bootcamp with two partners in 1998. When the lore of the treadmill-slash-weightlifting concept spread across Hollywood, drawing in celebrity clients, Jay just wanted clients to be on time, see results and have a an unforgettable time in the process. Gonzalez started at Barry's Bootcamp as a client and was soon helping to fund its growth as a partner, he said. He was named CEO in 2015 after serving as the company's COO for more than nine years. Benefitting from slow and controlled growth before, during and after the studio fitness boom, Barry's was able to find its tribe, voice and culture. That thoughtful growth led to an investment by North Castle Partners in 2015, which yielde

Clare Crowley didn't start out pursuing a life built around yoga - she started as a fighter, in and out of the ring. The sport of boxing came into her life at a time when she needed discipline, structure and an outlet - and eventually yoga would serve ...

April Sutton's life turned upside down when her training job disappeared. Getting downsized out of her job left her down, out and sleeping in her car. From spending Chicago nights without heat in her freezing car - April's life looks completely different today. She turned it around from homelessness to becoming a SAG card-carrying actress with appearances in movies like Divergent and shows like Empire. Hear the big goals that allowed her to rebuild her career and create a brand she's proud of on this week's episode of #WeGotGoals.

What would it take to permanently shift your sense of the impossible? For runner, author, and coach Matt Fitzgerald, it was an all-in approach to training for this year’s Chicago Marathon. He moved to Flagstaff, Arizona; trained with pro runners and an elite-level coach; and as a result, ran his personal-best time of 2:39:30 at age 46, something he’d previously thought inconceivable. On todays’ episode of #WeGotGoals, Matt talks about the nuts and bolts of the differences between training as an amateur and an elite—and how the experience has changed him in ways that go far beyond miles and finishing times. “If I have a vision for something and my first thought is, ‘that’s impossible,’ I’ll catch myself and say—‘You thought that once before about something else, and it wasn’t,’” he says.