Strong Ambition Podcast

Back in the studio with one of my favorite returning guests—Rich Girardin, an Athletic Therapist with a no-nonsense approach to rehab and performance.

You might remember Rich from Episode 71 (our Whiskey & Barbells night) and Episode 78 (his deep dive into injury recovery).

This time, we sit down in person to go even deeper into the real-world application of therapy, mobility, and movement — what works, what doesn’t, and ...

What if chasing your dream body actually made you less healthy?

In this episode, I sit down with Ikiaka Mahuka—a coach whose journey into fitness started with an unhealthy transformation.

After growing up overweight and losing over 80 pounds through extreme, unsustainable methods, he eventually found a more grounded approach—and built a coaching career around helping others do the same.

We talk about how his leap from ban...

What do women really need during pregnancy and postpartum? (Hint: it’s not just core exercises and macros.)

In this episode, I sit down with Christy Ewing—a coach with deep expertise in women's health—to talk about the challenges women face in their pre-, peri-, and postnatal phases. We dig into the often-overlooked realities of female physiology, including how hormonal shifts, nervous system stress, and poor recovery strate...

What if getting strong wasn’t just about performance, but about staying alive longer?

In this episode, I sit down with Jordan Smith, a coach and powerlifter who’s made it his mission to help people live longer through strength.

We explore the connection between muscle, movement, and longevity, and how the training culture has shifted away from purely aesthetic goals into something much deeper.

Jordan shares his personal e...

Could you imagine waking up without being able to see? Or talk?

In this episode, I interview Kijuan Amey, who was in a serious motorcycle accident that left him hospitalized and unable to see, talk, or walk.

We dive deep into the raw reality of recovery: the mindset, the struggle, and what it really takes to rebuild—physically and mentally—after everything changes.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How the school system fai...

Ever wonder what happens when a physical therapist is a powerlifter?

In this episode, I chat with Justin Geisler—a Doctor of Physical Therapy who’s also a strength and nutrition coach.

We get into everything from managing pain during training to the benefits of heavy lifting across all ages.

Justin shares his journey from hands-on therapy to virtual coaching, and we explore how real-world strength can carry over into lon...

Ever wonder how competitive fighters plan their nutrition?

Despite all the access to information, many fighters are still suffering through unnecessary, brutal weight cuts and following outdated nutrition advice.

This week on the podcast, I sit down with James Nichol—a Muay Thai fighter and sports nutritionist—to break down the biggest mistakes in combat sports nutrition and what fighters should actually be doing to fuel performa...

Do you use a wearable?

Apple Watch, Fitbit, Aura rings, and so many other brands have started to flood the market.

But what can they tell us?

Dr. Torkil Færø has discovered that it can tell you almost everything you need for optimal health.

Dr. Færø went on his own journey, starting out overweight, sick, and with poor health. As he says, “like my patients”

He wanted a change.

He discovered through the use of so many different tracker...

Have you ever thought about who are the hardest-working people in the world?

Some people literally have to work 24 hours a day.

Why aren’t those people the wealthiest?

And when it comes to business or fitness, why doesn’t hard work get you the results you want?

Well, Gavin has great guidance to open your mind to what you’re missing.

Maybe it’s not about the work you physically need to do, but rather the mental wo...

So much to tell you about!

I had two really big challenges from January into March.

As you may have seen, I did 60 days of eating a cookie every day and losing weight!

There were so many great lessons I learned from it. I want to give you some awesome tips for your own fat-loss journey that really helped me.

And I did my first powerlifting competition!

I’ve wanted to do this for years, but I finally got myself a coach and finally com...

Could you imagine losing 120lbs?

Have you ever considered if organic food is worth it or could it just be a scam?

What do women have to worry about with fat-loss nutrition when considering hormones?

Melissa answers all that and more.

Melissa Ostash is a fellow online nutrition coach, who specializes in helping women in nutrition on their fat-loss journey.

She had to come from a HUGE lifestyle change and lost over 120lbs herself!

But t...

How do you feel about the MAHA movement?

Ever wondered what really makes a great trainer?

I sat down with John Stein, an Exercise Physiologist (one of the highest qualifications in the training world), to get his expert take. John has worked in clinical settings with heart attack patients and helped everyday people lose weight and get healthier.

We had a trainer-to-trainer chat, covering:

✅ What separates a great trainer f...

Do you know your own body fat percentage?

What if I told you, something like a skin fold test, could be over 10% off?

And what if you could know your bone mineral density?

This is why a DEXA scan is so helpful.

Melina Elliott and Erica Henderson, the co-founders of Body Measure, started the first business that could offer this information to the public, in Winnipeg.

At body measure you can have your DEXA scan, have your metabolic rat...

105 - How to improve your strength without breaking down! - Dr. J’aime Goguen

Are you curious about improving your strength without your body breaking down?

Well, imagine what it’s like to work with high-level competitive powerlifters and try to keep their bodies from breaking down.

That’s Dr. G’s job for her powerlifting team…And she helps me!

Dr. J’aime Goguen is a board-certified doctor of chiropractor and helps work speci...

Do you know what a DEXA scan is?

Just in case you don’t know, it is a Dual Energy Xray Absorptiometry.

So you understand it simply, it is a very low dose X-ray that can determine a ton of data about your body including

• Body fat %
• Lean Mass (therefore predicting muscle mass)
• And bone mineral density

And it is currently the gold standard for determining your body fat percentage.

I went back to B...

Did you know there is a business that delivers trainers right to your home?

Jayce is one of those trainers!

Jayce Van Alstyne is a colleague of mine I met at university for Kinesiology.

He’s been in the industry as long as I have but went into a unique path of working as a in-home personal trainer, and even owning a part of the franchise!

In this discussion, we go over his story of what led him into training, and all of his ex...

Are you curious about these health topics?

With so many trends and ideas going around it’s so important you have some clear ideas you can use.

Do you think you need to worry about Gut Health?

Do you think you need to go gluten-free?

Are you missing HIIT cardio?

In this episode, I dive in-depth into these topics.

I give you the overrated/underrated idea but with context.

Very often people give you blanket statements.

But...

What makes a good strength and conditioning program?

Is it just doing hard stuff in the gym so you’re more prepared for the sport?

It’s actually quite far from that, and Don Moxley has a TON of data to prove it.

Don Moxley is a sports scientist, who helped many athletes achieve incredible success in wrestling, including Olympic medals and many world championships.

This is Don’s 2nd appearance on the show, as he was on from Ep...

This episode is a big one.

It was an absolute honor to have this guest on.

My father…Don Qually.

My dad has been a grain farmer all his life.

He’s seen some good years, some bad years, and terrible years.

But no matter what he kept pushing through.

My dad is by far one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. Sun up to sun down.

And no one has shown me a better example of what it means to chase your passion, regard...