#wegotgoals

  Welcome to the Daily Distance a new daily series from the creators of #WeGotGoals. In these short episodes, we’re bringing you one daily goal you can set for yourself during this chaotic time- one actionable thing you can do to move your body, connect with a friend, prioritize your mental health, and practice a little bit of self-care. In this mini-pod, Ambassador Sarah Meskill recommends taking this time to stick to a morning routine—one that’s the same on weekdays AND weekends. Resources Elise recommends: Built In > https://builtin.com/ Hired > https://hired.com/ Indeed > https://www.indeed.com/ Google Careers > https://careers.google.com/jobs Simply Hired > https://www.simplyhired.com/ LinkedIn Jobs > https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/ Glassdoor > https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/index.htm She also recommends searching for Slack channels in your industry, especially if you're in a tech-related field.

Welcome to the Daily Distance a new daily series from the creators of #WeGotGoals. In these short episodes, we’re bringing you one daily goal you can set for yourself during this chaotic time- one actionable thing you can do to move your body, connect with a friend, prioritize your mental health, and practice a little bit of self-care. In this mini-pod, Ambassador Sarah Meskill recommends taking this time to stick to a morning routine—one that's the same on weekdays AND weekends. Resources we mentioned: Sarah's Instagram with pictures of her dog, Jameson How to Build Your Perfect Morning Routine

Welcome to the Daily Distance a new daily series from the creators of #WeGotGoals. In these short episodes, we’re bringing you one daily goal you can set for yourself during this chaotic time- one actionable thing you can do to move your body, connect with a friend, prioritize your mental health, and practice a little bit of self-care. In this mini-pod, Ambassador Hanna Cetkovic recommends adding in a daily dose of culture by streaming Broadway musicals, symphony performances, and museum tours. It's basically The Finer Things Club, but with a fun social distancing twist! Resources mentioned: aSweatLife's sound bath with Lofti The Metropolitan Opera of New York app for streaming (Note from Hanna- every day without commitment, they’ll have one opera in ‘preview’ section; otherwise, there's a seven-day free trial) Broadway musicals via Broadway On Demand on Amazon Prime (some included with Amazon Prime; others free with BroadwayHD trial on Prime Video Channels) Seattle Symphony performs "Baby Got Back"

Welcome to the Daily Distance a new daily series from the creators of #WeGotGoals. In these short episodes, we’re bringing you one daily goal you can set for yourself during this chaotic time- one actionable thing you can do to move your body, connect with a friend, prioritize your mental health, and practice a little bit of self-care. In this mini-pod, Founder/CEO of aSweatLife Jeana Anderson Cohen discusses how she's scheduling time to cuddle her dog and how she's taking an overall approach to offering comfort to others right now. Want the Daily Distance in your feed? Subscribe to the #WeGotGoals podcast wherever you like to listen to podcasts, including on Apple and Spotify (and hey, leave us a rating while you’re at it!).

Hey goal getters, and welcome to a new daily series from the creators of #WeGotGoals. I’m Kristen Geil, editor-in-chief of aSweatLife.com. We know a LOT is changing, and fast, and the uncertainty, the change in routine, and the social distancing can be a lot for a brain to handle. That’s why we decided to use this feed to bring you one daily goal you can set for yourself during this chaotic time- one actionable thing you can do to move your body, connect with a friend, prioritize your mental health, and practice a little bit of self-care. Everyone is looking for any way to feel better right now, and we hope this little mini-series will improve your day in some small, measurable way. We’re calling this little interlude the "Daily Distance,” and we’re collaborating with friends of aSweatLife to get a diverse set of perspectives in hopes that you’ll find at least one idea to improve your mindset and your day. Want to be featured? Email me! Kristen at asweatlife.com. In the meantime, here’s my tip: Cook a godd

Eddie Sandoval set out to bring a traditional food from his homeland to the masses—while supporting those who shared his heritage. Betina Gozo has used her influence as a celebrity trainer to marshall resources for children in need, through the Dance With Mweyne Foundation. And Steve Umberger, co-host Maggie’s dad, used his theatrical talents in an entirely new way, inspiring dialogue between very different communities in their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. This past quarter, we talked to these inspiring guests—and more—on the #WeGotGoals podcast, as we explored the theme of Contributing Generously. Along the way, we were struck by the way these big thinkers followed their guts to big-hearted accomplishments, and found more than a few gems that changed the way we thought about our own altruism. We discuss: 2:26: The powerful moments that stood out for us from our interviews 6:40: The way intuition guided guests to worthwhile endeavors 10:40: How some of their efforts had multiple layers and dimensio

During this quarter of the #WeGotGoals podcast, we've had the opportunity to interview guests who have big goals to contribute generously to their respective communities. I couldn't help but recall an impactful episode we shared last season - a round table discussion among four separate guests about making wellness accessible and inclusive for all. On this episode, Cindy Kuzma chats with Caullen Hudson, Tanya Lozano, Allison Rootberg and Ashley Rockwood - all fitness movers and shakers in Chicago who are doing big things for their communities. From this episode, you'll hear them talk about the uphill battles they've faced (and continue to face) in their pursuit to make lasting contributions to the organizations they run. Alison Rootberg is the Founder of Wellness4Every1, which aims to provide quality wellness programming to corporations while giving back to the community. These programs aim to educate and increase the health and productivity of everyone participating. Caullen Hudson is the founder of SoapBox

Sarah Larson Levey, founder and CEO of Y7 Studio, hopped on stage as our keynote speaker, visibly pregnant and spilling truths at the #SweatworkingSummit January 25 and 26. And along with dropping knowledge ("It's like this now") the opening date of Y7's Chicago location (March 12) like one of the albums that plays in class, Larson Levey also opened up about the tough moments that came with building her yoga empire. Along with the success she's experienced, like being featured on the cover of INC and earning countless other accolades, Larson Levey dealt with her share of personal challenges. In being extremely open about those struggles - like having two pregnancies end in miscarriage over the past two years - she empowered our #SweatworkingSummit attendees to share their own struggles, too. In this episode, we discuss: 4:30: Sarah explains the totally-free Y7 Studio pop-up that started her on the journey to studio ownership in 2013. 5:41: Sarah talks through the injury that led her down a path to try yoga

Anne Mahlum could write a book on audacious goals. First, she went from running a regular route past a shelter to launching a national non-profit, Back on My Feet, that uses logging miles as a way to combat homelessness. Then, she started a chain of fitness studios—[solidcore]—that’s gone from two locations to 68 and counting since just 2013. And oh yeah, she’s also run a marathon on every continent—including, most recently, Antarctica, where she took on 26.2 miles with just seven weeks of training. Next up, she’s aiming to run the Rock n Roll Marathon in Washington, D.C. That might not seem so bold, until you learn that she was in a serious jetski accident last summer that left her with a compound fracture in her femur. That means she’ll be lining up for the race less than 10 months later—but she won’t be alone, as more than 600 people have pledged to train and race with her, as part of a team she’ll calling [stronger] together 2020. When I talked with Anne for this episode for #WeGotGoals, it’s clear that s

Robert Brace is, to say the least, a man of many interests. A London-born former ballet dancer, he now resides in New York as the founder of Brace Life Studios. His nickname in the wellness world? The "Mind-Body-Soul Connector," from his deep understanding and critical thinking on the ways our brains, bodies, and spirituality interact and influence each other. On this episode of #WeGotGoals, you'll hear Robert and his delightful British accent describe his life-altering back injury, the viral stunt that made him a celebrity overnight, and why his incredibly huge future goal is so important to him. Notes from the episode: 4:10: We hear how Robert got to New York from London and the back injury that changed his life. 11:15: We hear Robert's big goal he's achieved from the past: opening his own fitness studio, which came from a dream of having a place of his own to put his philosophy into practice. Plus, how his background as a minister helps him meet people where they're at. 13:15: The viral publicity stunt th

Long after they moved from Mexico to Wichita, Kansas, Eddie Sandoval’s parents still savored the taste of home. Each time the family went back to Mexico for a visit, they’d pick up some pinole—roasted, ground corn that’s made into baked goods and drinks. Eddie remembers mixing it with water to quench thirst in the summer, and sipping it warm with cinnamon and sugar in the winter. Wichita has a sizeable population of people who have immigrated from Mexico. Still, the Sandovals couldn’t find their beloved beverage nearby. So, Eddie decided to start a company to provide it. On this week’s episode of #WeGotGoals, he explains how and why. One key motivator was the Tarahumara—the sandal-wearing ultrarunning tribe made famous by the book Born to Run. They hail from the same region of Mexico as the Sandovals, and drink pinole to power their endurance efforts. During Christmas break of his senior year at Wichita State University, Eddie tracked down a supplier of organic, non-genetically modified blue corn (given it

On this episode of #WeGotGoals, we heard from Steve Umberger, professional theater director and creative director at Playworks Group. After founding and leading the first and only professional theater company in Charlotte, North Carolina for 25 years, Umberger shifted gears to make what he loved about theater - its ability to connect people on the most human level - the doorway into important conversations our culture tends to shy away from. Beginning in 2018, he launched two projects that allowed two groups of people - one of a homeless population and one of an aging population inside a nursing home - to share their stories in ways they never told (or would dream of telling) before. Ultimately, the formation of these scripts culminated in two live productions performed for sold-out audiences, plus documentaries filmed throughout the process. On the podcast, we talk about the impact live theater had on how the audience viewed and interacted with these stories. "Just like the power to gather in any community—i

Celebrity Trainer Betina Gozo and I met in a gym before "Celebrity Trainer" came before her name, though she's always had a larger-than-life spirit. With a light and infectious energy, she's a human tractor ray. It was only natural that we took our in-class relationship to the next level: after a few workouts led by Betina, I asked her to be my friend. And over these years we've seen each other grow, change and evolve. The most marked change took place for Betina after she moved away from her home-town of Chicago - first to Portland, then to Los Angeles. Today, Betina is the founder of the Dance With Mweyne Foundation, a Nike Global Master Trainer, and sits on the Women's Health Magazine's Advisory Board. She also trains famous people in her spare time. You can hear us catch up about her goals, what she's proud of and how she's changing the world on this week's episode of #WeGotGoals. 2:20: Betina shares how she tries to define herself by what she does, not by her titles, (but if you want to get fancy, she's

In the spirit of our current "Contributing Generously" theme, we went back to a past podcast guest who's deeply involved in the intersection of Chicago's public schools and health and wellness. Meet Alison Rootberg, a long-time friend of aSweatLife and founder of Wellness4Every1, a Chicago wellness company building strategic partnerships to fund arts and physical education opportunities for Chicago students. As Rootberg started teaching dance classes around Chicago, she was shocked to find that many schools didn't have art, music, dance, or theater —and she realized there was an opportunity to help, funding Wellness4Every1 as a result. Eventually, that mission also evolved to expanding programming to build social and emotional skills through activities like yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. And she does it all on a budget, too: Wellness4Every1's whole budget revolves around $4 per student per hour, she tells me in this interview. This year, Wellness4Every1 is focusing on physical education, which is the most

If you’re looking to infuse your holiday shopping with some extra meaning, look no further than BIDE Market—it’s a fully sustainable, plastic-free, vegan, and cruelty-free shopping experience that will fill Wicker Park’s Exchange312 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 15. Besides vendors, there’ll be talks, panels, and refreshments, all from ethical brands. The conscious marketplace represents just the kind of purpose-driven, yet still luxurious experience Exchange312’s founders—passionate entrepreneurs Sarah Neukom and Matt Woodburn—had in mind when creating the space, as well as their event company that’s headquartered there, ESP Presents. Sarah and Matt hosted us in the gorgeous venue to tape this week’s episode of #WeGotGoals, where Sarah explained how her background in event planning for a cancer center informs their current work; the fulfillment they get from creating memorable fundraising and other experiences; and all the failures and successes they’ve shared along the way. On this episode, we di

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and the calendar reads December, there’s no denying the holiday season is upon us. In the spirit of gratitude and giving, we at the #WeGotGoals podcast have chosen to focus our fourth, and final, segment of season 3 on the theme of Contributing Generously. It’s not really a stretch for us—all along, we’ve noticed most of the goal-getters we have on the show aren’t motivated by merely money, fame, or prestige. Nearly all have a bigger picture in mind, a vision of some way they can leave the world a better place than they found it. This quarter, we’ll bring this element to the fore, focusing on guests who have philanthropy, service, or selflessness at the core of their efforts. We kick things off, as we always do, with a hostful episode. This week, the four of us—me (Cindy Kuzma), Jeana Anderson Cohen, Kristen Geil, and Maggie Umberger—first recap some of the lessons from our past segment on Better, Faster, Stronger (including how we netted out on our goals for those few mon

"The right thing is always the right thing." That quote is inscribed on the wall at Fitt's headquarters in Pittsburgh where brothers Anthony and Joe Vennare built their location-based wellness discovery empire. And, more importantly, it drives every decision the company makes. I spoke to Anthony Vennare, CEO and co-founder of Fitt for this week's episode of #WeGotGoals at the absolute perfect moment: just after Fitt closed a fundraising round that included MINDBODY's participation as a strategic investor. This, Anthony explained, was a big goal for the company from the moment it started to build what Fitt is today. As an outsider, it's been fun to watch Fitt grow, innovate and help wellness-minded people discover new healthy experiences. But after speaking to Anthony, it would be impossible not to root for him - he's relentless, hardworking, disciplined and grounded. You'll hear that shine on today's episode - it explains much of the company's success. On this episode: 2:15: Anthony explains Fitt in his own

It's not every day you get to talk to someone who's Kardashian-adjacent (although we love catching up with Gunnar Peterson whenever we can). So it was with a little bit of stomach-fluttering that I dialed in to interview Autumn Calabrese, a 15-year veteran trainer who first made her mark in the industry with Beachbody's on-demand workouts and has since expanded into nutrition, cookbooks, a clothing line, and now a stint on E!'s Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian. But immediately, Calabrese's warm, Midwestern-nice tone came through over the line, and we connected like old pals as we chatted about goals, her dance background, modeling a healthy lifestyle for her son, and more. One thing that stuck out to me: "Progress comes under stress," she told me, in regards to why it's so important to switch up your fitness routine in order to see results. "Not bad stress, but you need a stressor—you need time under tension with your weights to build muscle, you need to train in different capacities so that you can get str

The Barre Code - an immensely goal-focused fitness brand - gathers its franchisees for a conference once a year to provide support, guidance and tools for growth in the year to come. Rare is it that one is able to sit down in a room of entrepreneurs who are creating versions of the same business in different parts of the country. Sure, in franchising there are variables. Location, competition, saturation, population density all play a factor, but The Barre Code tries to make owning a fitness studio feel like a path that's already been paved for you. And this year, four franchisees stood out as exemplary in their pursuit of goals. This episode of the #WeGotGoals podcast is a LIVE episode and a look into the goals driving these four entrepreneurs building The Barre Code brand. And consider this mandatory listening if you have any desire to own a fitness studio. You'll catch some of the numbers you'll want to meet and challenges you may face.     1:52: we kick off the live portion of the pod 2:28: Jeana defines

Mason Levey didn’t intend to start a nationally recognized yoga studio chain, but over six years ago he and his wife Sarah Levey came across the need to connect people to the benefits of yoga in a more palatable, modern way. They started Y7 Studio, a music-driven hot yoga concept in Brooklyn, and today, Mason still sits on the board of Y7 as the business spreads across the country and the brand permeates the world of modern yoga. It is now, Mason explains, that he sees the same inflection point for the modernization of meditation. “There are a lot of offerings and a lot of interest, but all the brands, all the content, all the experiences kind of sit in this one bucket or framework. Could I bring something to the market where I would actually enjoy meditation, look forward to it, and get really excited about it?” And perhaps an even more targeted question, “Is there a way to use music to bring mindfulness to more people, more quickly?” With the drive to break the misconceptions about meditation, in 2018, Maso