PAC Talk with Pieter Vodden
Welcome to the PAC Talk where we help you explore your capacity to move better, push further and achieve your limitless potential through fitness, nutrition, recovery, and lifestyle. I’m your host Pieter Vodden, co-owner of PHAROS Athletic Club in Echo Park. Thanks for tuning in and Welcome To The PAC!” Welcome to the Pac, please make sure you subscribe wherever you are listening to this show and if you loved this show please leave us a 5 star review in the iTunes store. It is the currency of podcasts and it really goes along in helping us grow our show. If you are in Los Angeles swing by to our gym at 1316 Glendale Blvd in Echo Park. Check out our website here for class times and follow us Pharos and Piet on Instagram for more fitness related content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Let’s talk about failing your goals.
Because if I’m being honest, I’ve fallen short on almost every goal I’ve ever set.
And for a long time, I let that mean something about me. That I was undisciplined. That I couldn’t finish what I started. That no matter how hard I tried, it was never good enough—so why even try?
But here’s what I’ve learned: the problem was never the goals.
It was the story I attached to them.
In toda...
The Goal Setting Framework For Work And Life That Keeps Us Moving Forward In 2026
In this reflective solo episode, Emylee shares the exact 3-pillar framework she uses to set goals at Pharos—and in her own life. Recorded during a quiet early-morning drive down the mountain after the annual leadership retreat, she reflects on the progress the team made in 2025, the lessons learned, and the clarity that comes from reviewing b...
Joe Riggio (Varsity House, Business of Strength) joins Pieter Vodden to talk about what really separates gyms that grow from gyms that fade out: business fundamentals, leadership, culture, and having the humility to get coached.
They go back to the early Jim Jones days—why traveling for education builds confidence, camaraderie, and “earned” self-respect—and how that same mindset became a blueprint for building better businesses....
Brazilian Ju Jitsu Is coming to PHAROS Palm Springs !!!!!
This week I sit down with one of the best in the business, 4x Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion Omar Salum, and his partner David Carrillo.
We talk through the history, evolution, training, and importance of the sport, and explore why it is becoming the most popular martial art in America. The best news is: we’re bringing it to Palm Springs in January for both adults...
In this episode of PAC Talk, Emily and Pieter open the doors to the 7-Day Results Accelerator and share a behind-the-scenes look at how they guide members through fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle strategy — all through the lens of bare minimum habits that create momentum.
You'll hear a live excerpt from one of the Accelerator’s Q&A sessions, where Emily coaches members through identifying the one habit they can realisticall...
In this PAC Talk episode, Pieter sits down with Cyto-Wellness founder and traditional naturopath Mitzi Avila to break down one of the most overlooked performance tools in the fitness world: biometric scanning. Mitzi explains how her Meridien-based scan can read over 2,000 internal markers—from mineral deficiencies and gut imbalances to sleep disruptors, neurotransmitter patterns, toxic load, parasites, and more. Pieter shares his f...
In this live PAC Talk session, coach Pieter Vodden sits down with writer and strength-training historian Michael Joseph Gross to explore what strength really means — not just for performance, but for longevity and quality of life. They trace the history of strength culture from ancient Greece to modern gyms, unpack how we’ve told stories about muscle over the centuries, and why we’re only just beginning to understand how powerful s...
You don’t need a better diet — you need a better philosophy.
Today’s session is one of the most transformational of the 7-Day Results Accelerator. In this 30-minute conversation, Piet and I unpack how to break free from diet culture and step into a sustainable, empowering way of eating that actually moves the needle — physically, mentally, and emotionally.
We cover:
🍎 Fuel: how to eat to support your training, recovery, h...
Most people think training starts and ends in the gym — but that’s only two hours of your day. The other 22 hours? That’s your lifestyle, and it’s where true progress happens.
In this PAC Talk Mini, Pieter Vodden breaks down the underestimated power of lifestyle — sleep, recovery, relationships, hydration, habits, and small joys — that define how you perform, think, and feel. From horse therapy in Gardner Valley to Taco Tuesday and ...
In this PAC Talk Mini, host Emylee Vodden shares a simple nightly ritual she practices with her kids — one that’s quietly reshaped how she approaches gratitude, leadership, and growth.
Each night before bed, she asks them:
“What was the best part of your day?”
Sometimes the answers come easily. Other times, she has to pull a little, dig deeper, and remind them — and herself — that gratitude is a practice, not a mood. It’s how ...
In this PAC Talk Mini, Emylee Vodden shares a big update from the Pharos team: after nine years and more than 20 Limitless Challenges, she and Pieter have built something new— a digital school and 7-Day Results Accelerator designed to help you reset your focus, rebuild momentum, and create a roadmap for the season you’re in.
This isn’t about more information. It’s about catalyst—clarity, excitement, and accountability.
Wheth...
Most of us default to one style of “help,” even when another would serve better. In this PAC Talk, we break down the difference between Push, Pull, and Hold—and give you a quick self-check to pick what you need today.
- Push = pressure + accountability to raise your ceiling (targets, deadlines, coaching cues).
- Pull = inspiration + vision that draws you forward (community energy, role models, events).
- Hold = support + steadiness ...
In this episode of PAC Talk, host Pieter Vodden sits down with multiple CrossFit Games champion Leka Fineman about what comes after competition.
Leka opens up about:
- Stepping away from elite CrossFit after burnout
- Discovering a new sense of purpose through surfing and longevity training
- Navigating perimenopause and hormone therapy (HRT) with strength and curiosity
- Learning how to “train for life” — not exhaustion
- Why communit...
Emylee shares her mom’s decade-long fight with trigeminal neuralgia and the lesson it forged: lead with light. Joy can coexist with pain—and sometimes you borrow someone else’s light until your own returns.
If you are in Southern California come train with us
Follow Pharos, Piet and Emylee on Instagram for more fitness related content.
Not toxic gloss—action. Emylee defines “relentless positivity” as acting despite how you feel: micro-joys, gratitude, and forward motion when the marathon gets long. Name the hard, then move anyway.
If you are in Southern California come train with us
Follow Pharos, Piet and Emylee on Instagram for more fitness related content.
Most of us get to 90%—then stall. Emylee riffs on remodel chaos, human nature, and why coaching, accountability, and a good crew carry you across the finish line. If you’re stuck, borrow a tribe and close the gap.
If you are in Southern California come train with us
Follow Pharos, Piet and Emylee on Instagram for more fitness related content.
Emylee sits down with artist-entrepreneur Alex Camacho—the force behind Acid Queen Jewelry—for a real talk on fitness, mindset, and building a business that lasts. We cover her athlete-to-artist journey, how the Limitless Challenge reframed goals, why “80% done is 100% perfect,” and how to use AI as a tool (not a shortcut) to analyze data, calm emotions, and stay the course. We get into macros, petite body composition, pull-up mile...
We’ve all missed alarms, overextended ourselves, or completely goofed up a plan. In this Pac Talk Mini, Emylee Vodden shares how a simple client message turned a potential scheduling disaster into a reminder of the power of planning, accountability, and community. Instead of stressing about mistakes, what if we built systems—and relationships—that anticipate needs before problems arise? This short mountain-drive reflection is about...
In this Pac Talk mini, Emylee Vodden opens up about anxiety, stage fright, and the lessons his parents taught him about butterflies in the stomach. Instead of letting fear paralyze us, we can choose to use that nervous energy as fuel for action, courage, and growth. From high school performances to everyday challenges, Emylee shares simple mindset shifts to reframe anxiety into empowerment.
If you’ve ever felt stuck by nerves or...
In this episode of Pac Talk, Emylee Vodden dives deep into how we talk to kids about food—and how those conversations shape their relationship with health for life. What starts as a heartbreaking moment with a five-year-old worried about “getting fat” turns into a powerful reflection on breaking generational cycles of diet culture, shame, and restriction. Emylee shares her framework for sustainable nutrition—fuel × joy × results—an...
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