Podcast
Apogee Strong
Hosted by Matt Beaudreau · EN
Apogee Strong's online mentorship program was created to provide you with the ideals young men need to become strong, successful leaders among leaders. The name Apogee comes from an astronomical term meaning "summit," a homage to the life we envision for each of our participants. A life where they have the tools they need to reach the greatest heights of their potential.
16episodes
Episodes
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Del Bigtree: From Hollywood Insider to Controversial Truth-Seeker – Vaccine Debate, Media Influence, and Taking Back Control of Your Health
Mar 2701:22:56Tap to summarizeWhat if everything you’ve been told about health, safety, and modern medicine wasn’t as settled as it seems?In this powerful and deeply controversial conversation, Del Bigtree—Emmy Award–winning producer and investigative filmmaker—shares his journey from mainstream media insider to one of the most outspoken voices in modern health debates.After producing the nationally syndicated TV show The Doctors, Del shifted paths, becoming known for challenging dominant narratives and asking the questions many avoid. He is the creator of the controversial documentary Vaxxed and host of The HighWire, where he has spent over a decade pushing for open dialogue, deeper inquiry, and personal responsibility in medical decision-making.Parents today are overwhelmed. Who do you trust? What decisions actually protect your children? And what happens when asking questions gets you labeled, silenced, or dismissed?In this episode, Del dives into the tension between authority and independent thinking, the emotional weight parents carry, and why he believes this is one of the most important conversations of our time.👉 Are you making decisions based on truth—or fear?👉 What responsibility do you carry for your family’s health?👉 And what happens if the system itself is flawed?Quotes:“When you know what’s in your hand, the noise doesn’t matter.”“I was raised to question everything—even authority.”“This is not just another issue. This may be the biggest story in human history.”“The real battle is understanding—and helping others understand.” Key Takeaways:Question respectfully, but don’t stay passive. Growth starts when you’re willing to examine what you’ve always believed.Do your own research—but stay grounded. Avoid overwhelm by focusing on credible sources and thoughtful conversations.Lead by example, especially as a parent. Your actions and mindset shape how your children approach truth and decision-making.Start conversations, not arguments. Change spreads through dialogue, not division.Conclusion:This episode is not about telling you what to think—it’s about challenging you to think.Del Bigtree brings intensity, conviction, and a deeply personal mission to a topic that affects every family. Whether you agree with his perspective or not, one thing is clear:👉 The responsibility to ask questions—and seek truth—ultimately falls on you.
Transcribe →Ali Miller: Functional Nutrition for Families – Reducing Ultra-Processed Foods, Supporting Brain Health, and Raising Resilient Kids
Mar 1201:01:33Tap to summarizeAre today’s kids struggling with anxiety, ADHD, brain fog, mood swings, and energy crashes more than ever before? What if the root cause isn’t just behavioral—but metabolic?In this powerful conversation, Ali Miller joins Matt Beaudreau to explore the deep connection between nutrition, brain function, and leadership development in young people.Ali Miller, RD is a functional medicine dietitian, author, and educator known for her evidence-based approach to using nutrition as a tool for whole-body health. She specializes in the intersection of food, metabolism, and brain function—helping individuals and families understand how diet influences mood, cognition, immune health, and chronic disease risk. Through her work, Ali teaches practical strategies for reducing ultra-processed foods, stabilizing blood sugar, supporting gut health, and optimizing nutrition to address issues such as anxiety, ADHD, metabolic dysfunction, and inflammation.Ali is the author of several books—including The Anti‑Anxiety Diet, The Anti‑Anxiety Diet Cookbook, and Naturally Nourished Kids—where she provides science-backed guidance and practical recipes to help families build healthier food habits. She also hosts the Naturally Nourished Podcast, where she explores topics ranging from functional nutrition and detoxification to children’s health and metabolic wellness.In this episode, Ali breaks down complex science into simple concepts every parent can understand—like oxidative stress, blood sugar crashes, gut-brain connection, and how ultra-processed foods can influence behavior, focus, and emotional regulation in children.You’ll also learn practical strategies for handling picky eaters, improving protein intake, balancing blood sugar, and creating a healthy family food culture that supports long-term wellness and leadership capacity.If you're a parent, educator, or coach working with young people, this episode will challenge how you think about nutrition—and show how food can become one of the most powerful tools for mental clarity, emotional regulation, and performance.Quotes:“Food is medicine—but it’s also a double-edged sword.”“Kids don’t just need calories—they need nutrients that fuel their brain.”“When families run multiple food systems in one kitchen, the weakest system usually wins.”Takeaways:Balance blood sugar by pairing carbohydrates with protein or healthy fats.Increase protein intake to support brain development and emotional regulation.Involve kids in food decisions and preparation to reduce resistance and increase buy-in.Focus on progress, not perfection when transitioning away from processed foods.Conclusion:Nutrition isn’t just about physical health—it’s about mental clarity, emotional stability, and leadership capacity. As Ali Miller explains, the food we eat directly influences our brain function, behavior, and long-term wellbeing.By focusing on whole foods, balanced meals, and intentional family food culture, parents can give their children a powerful advantage in life—helping them grow into healthy, capable leaders.Learn More About Ali Miller:Website: https://www.alimillerrd.comPodcast: https://www.alimillerrd.com/podcastProfessional Education (Naturally Nourished Academy): https://www.alimillerrd.com/academyBooks:The Anti-Anxiety Diethttps://www.alimillerrd.com/the-anti-anxiety-dietThe Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook https://www.alimillerrd.com/the-anti-anxiety-diet-cookbookNaturally Nourished Kids https://www.alimillerrd.com/naturally-nourished-kidsAli’s mission is to empower people with the knowledge to use food as medicine, helping them create sustainable lifestyle changes that support long-term health for themselves and their families.
Transcribe →Jason Khalipa: From CrossFit Champion to Resilient Father – Leukemia, Preparedness, and Building the Train Hard Men’s Movement
Mar 500:45:50Tap to summarizeLife rarely warns us before it throws its hardest challenges. One moment everything feels normal—and the next, you are facing circumstances that test your strength, leadership, and resilience. How prepared are you when life changes overnight? Are you building the mental, physical, and emotional capacity to handle those moments?In this powerful episode, Jason Khalipa shares the mindset that helped him navigate one of the most difficult experiences a parent can face—his daughter Ava’s leukemia diagnosis. A CrossFit Games Champion, entrepreneur, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and founder of NCFIT, Jason has spent decades pushing physical limits. However, he explains that the greatest lessons from fitness are not about trophies or performance—they are about developing the mental frameworks that prepare you for life’s toughest moments.Jason introduces the AMRAP mentality, the power of positive self-talk, and the importance of focusing only on what is within your control. These principles became essential tools when his family spent months in the hospital fighting for Ava’s life. Through that experience, Jason discovered that the habits built in the gym can create powerful “hedges” that prepare you physically, emotionally, and financially for life’s unexpected curveballs.You will also hear why Jason believes men need community, why shared hardship builds stronger leaders, and how fitness can become a training ground for fatherhood, leadership, and resilience.If you want to become a stronger leader, husband, father, or man—this conversation will challenge how you think about preparation, discipline, and the way you show up in life.Quotes:“You never know when life is going to throw you a curveball. It’s not if—it’s when.”“The greatest gift fitness ever gave me wasn’t the medals. It was what happened in my mind.”“Focus on what you can control. Everything else will drain your energy.”Takeaways:1. Build your hedges before the storm. Physical fitness, financial stability, and strong relationships create resilience when life becomes difficult.2. Your internal dialogue matters. Learning to replace negative self-talk with coaching-style encouragement can transform how you handle stress and adversity.3. Focus only on what you control. Separating controllable and uncontrollable factors reduces anxiety and helps you act with clarity.Conclusion:Jason Khalipa’s story is a powerful reminder that the habits we build today shape how we respond to tomorrow’s challenges. Fitness is not just about strength or endurance—it is about developing the mental toughness, leadership, and resilience needed for life’s most difficult moments.By training the body and the mind, we become better fathers, leaders, and teammates. The discipline developed through small daily choices ultimately determines how we show up when life demands the most from us.Jason Khalipa is a CrossFit Games Champion (2008), multi-year Games competitor, and the founder of NCFIT, a global fitness community with gyms, digital programming, and training resources used worldwide.He is also:Founder of Train Hard, a men’s movement focused on fitness, leadership, and brotherhoodAuthor of As Many Reps As PossibleHost of The Jason Khalipa PodcastCo-founder of Ava’s Kitchen & Kids, inspired by his daughter’s cancer journeySpeaker on leadership, fatherhood, and resilienceA Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black beltJason’s mission centers on one simple idea:Train hard in the gym so you can show up harder for life.About Jason Khalipa🌐 Official Website: https://www.jasonkhalipa.com🏋️ NCFIT: https://nc.fit👕 Train Hard: https://www.trainhard.com🎙️ Podcast: https://www.jasonkhalipa.com/podcast
Transcribe →Austin Sims: From Bodybuilding Prodigy to Identity Coach – Overcoming Childhood Trauma, Finding Faith, and Leading Men’s Personal Growth Retreats
Jan 1901:13:13Tap to summarizeWhy do so many driven men work relentlessly, achieve success, and still feel unfulfilled?What if the real issue isn’t effort—but identity?In this episode, we unpack the hidden pressures, internal battles, and unspoken frustrations men face around purpose, discipline, and leadership—and why grinding harder often leads to burnout, not clarity.Our guest, Austin Joel Sims (AJ Sims), is a coach, mentor, and founder of Cement Factory, helping men build strength, discipline, and identity from the inside out. AJ began competing in bodybuilding at just 12 years old and trained alongside elite athletes, including four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler. Today, he blends performance, faith, and mindset coaching to mentor men worldwide, lead retreats, build purpose-driven brands, and raise his family in Oklahoma.Together, we explore the difference between striving from a wounded mindset and leading from a grounded identity, how unresolved trauma quietly drives ambition, and what it truly means to build a life rooted in purpose, peace, and standards.If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly proving yourself—or wondering why success doesn’t feel as fulfilling as it should—this conversation will challenge how you think, lead, and show up.Quotes:"Covenant, not contract—contracts are meant to be broken, covenants aren’t broken.""You recycle your pain. Don’t just go cry to cry. Actually use that as fuel in a healthy way—not from a state of internal anger.""Standards are not pressure. Standards are alignment."Actionable Takeaways:Audit your ambition: Identify one area of your life where you’re striving to prove something rather than building from clarity. Ask yourself, Who am I trying to impress—and why?Shift from effort to identity: Write down three standards you want to live by daily (not goals). Then ask, Do my current habits align with the man I say I want to become?Address the root, not the grind: Take time this week to reflect on a past wound, failure, or disappointment that may still be driving your work ethic. What would change if you led from healing instead of hustle?Create a daily non-negotiable: Choose one small, disciplined action (morning silence, movement, journaling, prayer, or reflection) and commit to it for 7 days—no matter how you feel.Redefine success: Ask yourself this question and write the answer down: If success had nothing to do with money or status, what would a “well-lived life” actually look like for me?Conclusion:This conversation is a reminder that real strength isn’t built by grinding harder—it’s built by leading from the right identity. When discipline is rooted in purpose and clarity, it stops being exhausting and starts becoming sustainable.Whether you’re a high performer feeling burned out, a leader questioning your direction, or someone who knows there’s more beneath the surface, this episode challenges you to slow down, examine what’s driving you, and rebuild from the inside out.Because when identity is solid, everything else—leadership, performance, faith, and fulfillment—has a foundation that lasts.
Transcribe →Bryan Callen: Lessons on Inspiration, Parenting in the Digital Age, and Navigating Adversity
Jan 800:54:31Tap to summarizeWhat happens when discipline stops working? When motivation fades, success feels hollow, and the version of yourself you know you could be starts clearing his throat in the other room? Many men feel stuck between ambition and exhaustion—wanting to lead well, live with purpose, and raise strong families, yet quietly battling regret, distraction, and self-doubt. Are we chasing the wrong definition of success? And what if the struggle itself is not the problem—but the path?In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, we sit down with Bryan Callen—a comedian, actor, and thinker who brings depth, honesty, and timeless wisdom into every room he enters. Beyond the stage, Brian is a devoted father and a lifelong student of history, philosophy, and human behavior. He speaks candidly about responsibility, identity, and the necessity of struggle in becoming who you’re meant to be.Drawing from personal loss, public failure, entrepreneurship, faith, and decades of studying great thinkers, Brian challenges the modern obsession with comfort, shortcuts, and surface-level success. With humor and hard-earned clarity, he reminds us that growth isn’t found in ease—but in showing up, doing the work, and refusing to waste the potential you’ve been given. If you’re ready to rethink success, confront who you’re becoming, and embrace the work required to live with purpose, this episode will stay with you long after it ends.Quotes:"My whole life is a resolution. I don’t know if I believe in discipline anymore—I believe in inspiration.""I was always terrified of regret. My biggest fear is that I won’t realize my potential.""There are such hidden gifts in destruction. There’s something beautabout being stripped bare and having to rebuild."Actionable TakeawaysStop waiting for motivation—build momentum instead.Inspiration fades. Progress comes from taking small, consistent actions even when you don’t feel like it. Mini-wins compound.Redefine success beyond money and status.Ask yourself: Would I want my children to become the kind of person I’m becoming? Let character, responsibility, and integrity be your metrics.Use struggle as a tool, not an excuse.Pain and resistance aren’t signs you’re failing—they’re signs you’re being shaped. Growth requires friction.Tend your inner life like a garden.Pay attention to your thoughts. Pull out negative, self-defeating narratives before they take root and replace them with better questions and healthier inputs.Surround yourself with people who raise the bar.Get close to those who show up consistently, demand more from themselves, and live with purpose. Proximity shapes identity.ConclusionThis conversation is a reminder that becoming who you’re meant to be is not about hacks, hype, or overnight transformation. It’s about responsibility. It’s about showing up when it’s hard, staying in the work when it’s uncomfortable, and refusing to waste the potential you’ve been given. Growth is forged through struggle, wisdom is earned through experience, and leadership begins with mastering yourself first.If this episode challenged you, let it. Take one idea, one action, one hard but necessary step—and commit to it. The work won’t always feel good, but it will shape you. And over time, that consistency will turn into character, purpose, and a life lived with intention.
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Mikhaila Peterson - An Unconventional Self-Healer
Aug 27, 2022Tap to summarizeMikhaila Peterson suffered most of her childhood with multiple health problems, starting with joint pain at the ripe age of 2 years old. By the time she was 7, she was diagnosed with extremely severe Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis with 37 actively inflamed joints. She began treatment with several medically prescribed drugs and as her health continued to decline, she was also diagnosed with severe depression, she experienced hypomanic episodes (Bipolar Type 2), and suffered from fairly severe OCD tendencies. So they added more prescriptions. Over the years Mikhaila's health continued to decline until she decided to experiment with an elimination diet. When she began to see things in her health change for the better, she realized she was on to something. Things like the paleo or keto diet certainly didn't exist back then. She continued to experiment with her diet until she found what works best for her, and thus was born the Lion diet. As the founder of the Lion diet, Mikhaila now spends her time educating others about how diet affects overall health using her personal story and the stories of others who see results following the strict diet. She also operates as CEO of Luminate Enterprises and she has just launched The Mikhaila Peterson Podcast, which, within its first week has already reached #3 in health. Now, hear her take on the Essential 11 questions. More places you can find Mikhaila: Instagram - @mikhailapeterson Twitter - @MikhailaAleksis Website & Blog - https://mikhailapeterson.com/ Podcast - The Mikhaila Peterson Podcast YouTube - Mikhaila Peterson
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