Staying Alive with Jon Gabrus & Adam Pally

Episode: “Getting Fits, Getting Fit” (w/ Andrew Chen)
Date: December 25, 2025
Network: SmartLess Media

Episode Overview

Jon Gabrus and Adam Pally are joined by Andrew Chen, founder of the cult-favorite menswear brand 3sixteen, for a lively, vulnerable, and candid exploration of health, fitness, aging, and style. Together, they dive into the intersections of running a business, prioritizing wellness after 40, building community through running, and how fashion can empower self-care. Interspersed with laughter and personal stories, this episode is as much about the practicalities of midlife health as it is about the mindset shifts required to “stay alive.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breakfast, Fasting, and Wellness Rituals

• The hosts open by discussing their sometimes-confusing wellness routines.
• Adam Pally is trying intermittent fasting but admits he’s already feeling “the ketosis or whatever” and hunger pangs.
• Jon Gabrus shares his approach to breakfast: “I try to make breakfast like a guaranteed healthy meal every day. So it's either yogurt and berries with some nuts in there and maybe some protein powder or like hard boiled eggs and fruit.” (00:34)
• There's shared confusion over conflicting health advice: “Are you supposed to eat breakfast? Like no one will answer this for me.” – Adam (01:02)
• They all agree that after 40, maintaining stability takes conscious effort: “Now you need to do so much to just feel at zero, to be at, like, default.” – Gabrus (04:19)

2. Midlife Mindset Shift

• Andrew Chen emphasizes the reality of starting his wellness journey at age 40, and the slow realization that positive changes, while not always visible, are necessary for maintenance:

  “I started making changes at 40 and I'm feeling like I'm still falling apart right now... but then I feel like if I wasn't making changes, how bad would it be?” (04:41)

• The group bonds over the feeling of “just staving off” decay, not always actively improving.

3. Running a Small Business (and Yourself) as a Boss

• Adam highlights the “self-imposed pressure” of entrepreneurship and the challenge of drawing work-life boundaries, even when they technically could:

  “I've made some changes already. Like there are days where I'll walk, roll into the office at noon because I'll wake up, I'll knock out some emails, I'll go for a run, I'll come back, I'll cook breakfast and I'll just take my time. And that feels good. But I feel like I'm doing something bad when I do it.” – Andrew (26:44)

• Gabrus notes all three are their “own bosses,” but being your own boss can breed a lack of grace:

  “Turns out I'm a dick boss… I'm very hard on myself.” (26:51)

4. Running as Transformation: From Gym Class Trauma to Community

• Andrew recounts his journey from “the overweight kid in gym class” who hated running to someone who runs half-marathons and organizes community run clubs:

  “I started running three years ago, which is very strange for me… I grew up hating running as the overweight kid in gym class.” (12:00)

• The group commiserates about the pain of “mile day” in school and the lack of coaching or encouragement from teachers.
• Running has become a way to clear his head, detach from his phone, and build community—especially meaningful in adulthood when meeting new people is harder.

  “I met a lot of really cool people just showing up on Wednesdays over and over again… Getting to know them and them asking me questions.” (30:51)

5. 3sixteen: From Denim to Activewear and Community-Building

• Adam and Jon both fawn over the fit and ethos of 3sixteen, with Adam describing Chen’s style as “one of my, like, Mount Rushmore pillars” (02:23).
• The brand’s launch into activewear led to hosting community run clubs and “unsanctioned races,” unique events that blend running culture with 3sixteen’s design sensibility:

  “The rule was if you want to, you run this open streets course in downtown New York and you have to wear 100% cotton jorts.” – Andrew (33:00)

• Andrew notes:

  “Now in the summer runs we pull like 150 people. It's crazy. So like word got out…You get to talk to people, meet people at the brand, and all of that culminated this past November where we threw our first unsanctioned race.” (32:09)

6. Finding Balance, Accepting Non-Linear Progress

• All three emphasize the value of stacking small wins, and not measuring health, business, or personal growth by a straight line:

  “What's. What Coach Josh told me was like, fitness is not linear, and life in general and careers are not linear.” – Andrew (38:25)

• Gabrus reflects:

  “You’ll be dialed in for, like, three months, and then you'll have, like, a week bender that blows it. And then you're like, I'm a fat pig again. It's like, no, you're. There's no way you are.” (39:21)

7. Style, Representation, and Self-Confidence

• Adam expresses appreciation for how 3sixteen’s clothes are designed with a range of body types in mind, making him feel seen as someone who “was a circle” and struggled to find denim that fit:

  “The cool thing about your brand is you change, you evolve, but it is consistent. I've never walked into your store...and you're like what is this?” (36:31)

• The hosts share how fashion, like health, is about evolving while remaining true to an authentic core.

Notable Quotes

• Andrew Chen on changes post-40:
  “I started making changes at 40 and I'm feeling like I'm still falling apart right now. No, no, no, no, no, no. But then I feel like if I wasn't making changes, how bad would it be?” (04:41)

• Adam Pally on self-talk and progress:
  “Imagine how bad it would be if I wasn't doing this... is the ethos of every single interaction that I have with food and exercise.” (04:56)

• Jon Gabrus on grown-up wellness:
  “I am a better partner, a better employee, a better comedian. When I am exercising. There's a little level of confidence that comes with it too.” (27:55)

• Andrew on run clubs/community:
  “I met a lot of really cool people just showing up on Wednesdays over and over again and, you know, getting to know them and them asking me questions like, why are clothes so expensive?” (30:48)

• Andrew on non-linear growth:
  “Fitness is not linear, and life in general and careers are not linear... you have to keep working... you're stacking even though you might not see it.” (38:25)

Andrew’s NYC Marathon Recap (Follow-Up Segment)

(44:07–51:33)

• Andrew returns to share his NYC Marathon experience—both the grueling training (first time over a half marathon distance) and how everything went awry on race day:

  “I really wanted to respect the distance and not let it dominate me, and I wanted to be prepared. And guess what? I got dominated.” (44:07)

• Struggled with side stitches at mile 1.5, hamstring cramps at mile 7, and had to stop several times, but finished the race:

  “It was dark because I was in pain, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish…My hamstring fully cramped up…stretched for five minutes…hobbled the rest of the way…But you did it.” (47:28–48:27)

• The emotional takeaway: even if your experience is “ugly,” it counts:

  “You ran a bad race and fucking beat it. That's fucking crazy, dude.” – Jon (48:50)

• Andrew teases new 3sixteen x Saucony collab sneakers coming in March (“a Staying Alive exclusive!”) (51:02).

Structure & Flow with Timestamps

• 00:34: Jon on breakfast and diet routines
• 01:02: Adam questioning conflicting nutrition advice
• 04:19–05:11: Turning point at age 40, accepting maintenance
• 09:22–10:14: Morning ritual: the only way to ensure workouts
• 12:00–14:33: Andrew’s traumatic gym class past and becoming a runner
• 21:44–25:00: Gabrus and Andrew on half-marathons and travel running
• 26:44–27:55: Self-imposed pressure and being your own (harsh) boss
• 30:25–33:19: Building running community, run clubs, being vulnerable
• 38:25–39:14: On progress being non-linear, both physically and in business
• 44:07–51:33: NYC Marathon follow-up: struggle, pain, and perseverance
• 51:02–51:33: Announcement: new sneaker collab coming soon

Memorable Moments

• Jorts Race Anecdote:
  “The rule was if you want to, you run this open streets course in downtown New York and you have to wear 100% cotton jorts.” – Andrew (33:00)

• On Being “Cool” Growing Up:
  “Were you always cool?” – Adam; “No.” – Andrew (14:39)

• Comedic banter on “come gutters” and “stand alive” promo codes (36:13–36:31)

• Adam’s bar mitzvah mixtape story ending in Rage Against The Machine controversy (16:59–17:21)

Takeaways for Listeners

• Making wellness a priority after 40 is often more about maintenance than improvement—but that work is vital.
• Fitness and personal growth are non-linear; resilience and self-compassion are essential.
• Finding community, whether through running clubs or fashion, is especially valuable in adulthood.
• Fashion can empower confidence at any size, and authenticity in style (or business) is key.
• Even grueling, disappointing experiences (like a tough marathon) are valid and formative.
• There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to “staying alive” – it’s about experimenting, adjusting, and extending yourself grace.

[Get that workout in! – as Jon and Adam now say to listeners]