Podcast Summary:

Podcast: Shannon Cason's Homemade
Episode: Introducing... Everyday is a Story! Geriatric Fitness
Host: Shannon Cason
Release Date: March 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Shannon Cason introduces a new series called "Everyday is a Story," where he challenges the notion that ordinary days aren't worth telling stories about. Shannon shares his humbling and enlightening experience working out with a group of men all over 70, including his 85-year-old father, at the legendary Powerhouse Gym in Detroit. Through vivid storytelling, he reflects on aging, resilience, and the value of seeking meaning in everyday moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Everyday is a Story" Experiment

Shannon’s Philosophy: Everyone has stories; you just have to notice them.
- Quote: "Stories are happening every day. All of them aren't crime mystery stories... but every day can be interesting if you look for it and if you notice it." (00:14)
Rules for the Project: Stories must be from the last 24 hours, kept simple, emotionally honest, and focus on moments of meaning.
Intention: Encourages listeners to find significance in daily life and be mindful about ordinary moments.

2. Geriatric Fitness: Workout with the Elders

The Setting: Powerhouse Gym, Highland Park—a legendary but under-the-radar gym frequented by an older crowd.
- Quote: "It's a bunch of old people who work out at that gym. But it's a legendary gym. Everybody's been through there." (02:11)
Shannon’s Preconceptions: Expected a light, easy workout given the high ages of the group (all 70+).
- Quote: "I'm 50, I'm in pretty good shape at 50, but this is like geriatric fitness." (02:32)
Reality Check: Workout was intense—no easy start, just full-on cycles of planks, push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, and kickboxing.
- Quote: "I knew I messed up. When we started with planks, push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks... It shocks your body into action." (03:14)
- Memorable Moment: The group, all in their 70s and 80s, went toe-to-toe with Shannon in kickboxing drills.

3. Humbling Details: Strength and Resilience in Aging

Impact: Shannon was pushed beyond his limits, surprised by the stamina and fighting skill of the older men.
- Quote: "All these old guys cannot lift their legs that high. But I was wrong." (04:00)
Training Routine: Included bag work (jab, jab, right, left hook, right), knees, elbows—his father especially aggressive and precise.
- Quote: "My dad really likes to kill people if he's in a fight with you, so... he's actually going to kill you." (05:08)
Online Sharing: He documents the session and his dad's feats on Facebook.
- Quote: "I took a picture of it, I put it on Facebook. It's impressive for real." (06:34)

4. Aftermath & Personal Reflection

Physical Effects: Exhausted, ate everything in the fridge, and passed out at 5 p.m.—an unusual admission for him.
- Quote: "I'm not ashamed to say I went to sleep at like five o'clock, like five in the afternoon." (08:08)
Muscle Discovery: Notices soreness in muscles he didn't know he had—hips, sides, back, arms.
- Quote: "I'm feeling muscles that I didn't even know I had." (08:56)

5. Wisdom and Takeaway

Key Lesson: Aging doesn’t slow you down—comfort does.
- Quote: "Age doesn't slow you down. Comfort does." (09:30)
Respect for the Elders: Warns listeners not to underestimate older, fit people, especially in Detroit.
- Quote: "Anybody over 70 who look like they're in halfway shape in Detroit, do not start... All of them would whoop your ass." (09:45)
Commitment: Plans to return next week for another challenging session.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"Stories are happening every day. All of them aren't crime mystery stories... but every day can be interesting if you look for it and if you notice it." (00:14)
"I knew I messed up. When we started with planks, push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks... It shocks your body." (03:14)
"My dad is going for your nose, he's going for eyes, going for your throat, he's actually going to kill you." (05:14)
"Age doesn't slow you down. Comfort does." (09:30)
"All of them would whoop your ass. I'm not kidding with you there." (09:45)

Important Segment Timestamps

00:14 — Shannon explains the “Everyday is a Story” project and its personal rules.
02:11 — Arrival at Powerhouse Gym and setting the scene.
03:14 — Workout begins—unexpected intensity.
05:08 — Kickboxing and his dad’s deadly precision.
06:34 — Documentation and Facebook reference.
08:08 — Post-workout exhaustion and eating everything in the fridge.
08:56 — Reflection on soreness and “new” muscles.
09:30 — Wisdom on aging, comfort, and resilience.
09:45 — Warning: Don’t underestimate the old-timers.

Conclusion & Listener Invitation

Shannon wraps up by encouraging listeners to reflect on someone older who still inspires or challenges them, whether in fitness, mentally, or otherwise. He promises more frequent “Everyday is a Story” episodes and invites discussion about inspiring elders in listeners' lives.

Tone & Style:
Authentic, conversational, candid, sometimes humorous—Shannon brings a blend of humility and respect, especially for the older generation, with relatable self-deprecation and genuine admiration.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Every day is a story. This is something that's different, but it's the same. I've heard people say for the longest, Shannon, nothing ever happens to me. I don't have any stories. But I'm from the camp that stories are happening every day. All of them aren't crime mystery stories, which you don't want them to be, hopefully. But every day can be interesting if you look for it and if you notice it. And actually, those are my favorite stories. So I've been doing this daily mindfulness experiment on myself, and I take the day and I make a story out of it. I've been doing it myself for a while, and I recently shared it on Patreon, and now I'm going to share it here on the podcast fee. And there's a few rules to it that I follow. It has to be within the last 24 hours. I keep it simple. I'm not going for perfection here. I stay emotionally honest, like, what was my emotion during that moment? You know, like I always do. And I look for moments of meaning throughout my day. And that's been fun doing this. It's been like a pleasure, like, looking for moments of meaning that happened throughout the day, being in the moment, but also noticing the moment. I think I've been doing that my whole life. So I'm gonna share it with you here. You'll still get the homemade on a regular basis. You'll still get those, but you'll get these two. You'll get a lot more of these, but this is the first one for you, and I hope you enjoy it. I got beat up by a group of guys over 70. Every day is a story. I'm Shannon Cason. It's Tuesday. I worked out with my dad and his friends yesterday on Monday, and my dad is 85 now. None of these guys that I'm working out with, none of them are under 70. I'm 50. None of these guys are under 70. We're at the Powerhouse Gym on Woodward in Highland Park. This is a legendary gym. I'll be watching the Diamond Gym on YouTube and TikTok, and I wonder why the Highland Park Powerhouse don't get into the fold, you know, start filming the gym and showing the gym, because it's a bunch of old people who work out at that gym. But it's a legendary gym. Everybody's been through there. So before we start, this is when I'm at home and I'm getting ready. I'm thinking, like, this can't be too bad. These are all older People who I will be working out with. I'm 50, I'm in pretty good shape at 50, but this is like geriatric fitness. You know, they two and a half pound weights and you know it's not gonna be anything that serious. So my mind is not ready. And I knew I messed up. When I get in the gym, you can hear the clanking of the other. Other weights and you can hear the people grunting and the in the machines going. And I go in the back room where they got like a little area where they do fitness and that kind of thing. And I knew I messed up. When we started with planks, push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks, and we did a cycle of those four sets. It was like no easing in. We just immediately got to just. It shocks your body. It shocks your body into action. And it was no ease in the end, no easing in. It was just straight work. And this was kickboxing training. This was. I've done ab training with my dad. My dad is no jokes on the abs, but this is kickboxing training. And I'm thinking, all these old guys cannot lift their legs that high. But I was wrong. So I hadn't punched anything in a long time. It's been a long time since I've. I've had a fight. You know, I don't fight all the time. When you big like I am. I'm six three, I'm about £245 right now. Nobody's looking to start a fight with you, so you don't have to. You don't have to punch people in their nose much, you know, so I'm not punching every day or every week, but I'm gonna get into it with this kickboxing class. But I hadn't punched in a long time, so the trainer had me on the bag. And if you've ever punched on the. On the. On the bag, it's tiring. Like a minute on there is like a lifetime almost. If you do three minutes, you didn't really did it put in some work. So I'm hitting the bag and then he had me working combinations. Jab, jab, right, a left hook, then another right. Jab, jab, right, left hook and another right. Jab, jab right. So then we had the knees, then we had the knees into the bag. He was holding the bag and you put the knee into the bag. And then my dad was doing the elbows. My dad really likes to kill people if he's in a fight with you, so don't get into don't get in a fight with these 87. Anybody over 70 who look like they're in halfway shape in Detroit, do not start. Don't think that they're easy pushover and that you go start a fight with them and you're going to win. And they go for the death kill. They go for. My dad is going for your nose, he's going for eyes, going for your throat, he's actually going to kill you. So I wouldn't want to get in the fight with him. So the trainer had me doing all this and I'm watching my dad also and I posted some on Facebook. Steady, locked in, discipline. And this is all my life. Like I say, I'm 50 years old. So this is over 50 years of that kicking, punching, elbow. And I took a picture of it, I put it on Facebook. It's impressive. It's impressive for real. You gotta, you gotta see it. If you're not a Facebook friend, go on there and look at it. It's impressive. At the end, we get to the end. We've been done cycles of, of punches, kicks right, jab, jab right, left hook right. I've been doing that for the whole day. It was about an hour long of that. And we get to the end and we do another cycle of planks, sit ups, push ups, jumping rope. And we do that four times and then it's over. Now these guys just go sit down. My dad had an oxy machine, he goes to he 85, so he got an oxy machine, he goes to boy. But I sit down for a little bit, but I'm acting like I'm okay. I'm acting like I was no big deal, you know, I'll see you next week and all this other stuff. And I leave to go. But I wasn't okay. I was not okay at all. I get home, I eat everything in the fridge. All the leftovers that we had, I ate them all. Cause I knew I couldn't wait till dinner. I just ate all the leftovers that was in the refrigerator. And, and I'm not ashamed to say I went to sleep at like five o', clock, like five in the afternoon. I went to sleep, I'm just getting up now. It's, it's. I got up at 6, so 5 to 6. I probably needed to catch up on some, some sleep from way back when. But going to sleep at 5pm, that doesn't happen much. I, I really, I've never gone to sleep at five in the afternoon. So I slept straight through. And my muscles. Right now I'm feeling muscles that I didn't even know I had. I'm feeling muscles that I have never worked on before. I feel it in my hips. I feel muscles in my hips. I feel my side ab muscles working. I feel some muscles in my back. This is not, like, pain. Like, it's just soreness. Just soreness. I feel some muscles in my arm that I never work because I just do like, the regular workout. So this whole experience taught me one thing, that age doesn't slow you down. Comfort does. If you don't get into them comfort spaces. These guys was my dad, 85, and these guys was all younger than him, but they were over 70. And all of them would whoop your ass. I'm not kidding with you there. I know some. Some of y' all probably can fight out there, but these old dudes, I wouldn't want to get in the fight and wanted the trainer. He was training some younger fighters, too. So after he was done with us, some younger fighters got in, and those guys was looking. Looking like very dangerous what they was doing. But. But the one thing with me, I'm gonna go back next Monday. I'm gonna go back next Monday, so I'm gonna keep it going. So question for you. Who's someone older than you that still pushes you, that you're still impressed by? And it could be fitness. It can be physical, mental, or otherwise. Let's talk about it. Be ready for more every day as a stories coming quite frequently to you. And then you're going to get the homemades on a more monthly basis because I got some other projects going, but these every day is a stories. I'm living this every day. So I'll talk to you soon, all right?