Today's guest really poured into the young men of Apogee. He talks about his experience growing up without a father and how that got him searching for a tribe in all the wrong places. That set him down a path that took some hard-hitting experiences and great male figures in his life for him to realize he needed to make a change. And boy did he. All that and more on today's episode. Today's sponsor is Discover Praxis. Right now, listeners of E11 can get a $1,000 scholarship + a free book! Simply ...
Jan 18, 2023•1 hr 33 min
What first began as her brother's solution to her bullying problem turned into a dream that Amy never believed was something that she could achieve. Battling depression, trauma, and other health issues had left her feeling beat down and boxing helped her fill a void in her life. The game changed for Amy after she found Jose Morales' gym in Roseville, CA. There, she received support in a way that she never had before and began a journey of personal development. Through training, she was able to l...
Jan 16, 2023•44 min
"Pivot" is the name of the game in today's episode. Our guest certainly has a deep understanding of what it's like to not have things work out the way you planned them. Phil Daru from a young age had wanted to play professional football and some decisions that he made became obstacles on his journey. But even still he pressed on. Until circumstances prevented him from moving forward. He changed course and got into fighting until that also was no longer an option. Phil shares his journey with the...
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Listeners, you will not find a better masterclass on fear than this episode of The Essential 11. Today we are joined by the absolute master Tony Blauer and it is not an understatement when I say the men of Apogee and I were absolutely enthralled in all the wisdom that this man had to say. Today's sponsor is Discover Praxis. Right now, listeners of E11 can get a $1,000 scholarship + a free book! Simply follow the link: discoverpraxis.com/essential11 TONY BLAUER Tony Blauer has been in the martial...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Today's guest is a man who truly embodies the American dream. Bedros Keuilian came to America at a young age, escaping a communist country, and has lived his life in pursuit of challenge and growth. When he had his son, he saw a gap in the development of men and he made it a mission to fill that void. And in doing so, he has created some of the greatest programs to create better men who are greater fathers, husbands, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Today's sponsor is Discover Paxis. Right now, liste...
Jan 09, 2023•41 min
There is no kind of mentality quite like the mentality of an athlete. And that is exactly the kind of guest that we have on today. Jason Khalipa is a huge voice in the world of Crossfit and it was an incredible privilege to have him on the podcast and pour into the young men of apogee. He offers them some great advice, including words on the things that actually matter in life, and what it takes to actually operate a gym. Today's sponsor is Discover Praxis. Right now, listeners of E11 can get a ...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Today's guest is not only arguably one of the best- most innovative artists in the world. But he is also a spectacular human being. A local of Sacramento, David Garibaldi has raised over 6 million dollars for charity through his art. And he's not done making moves yet. In today's episode, we get into how David got to where he is today by creatively combining his passions rather than going a "traditional" route. His journey hasn't been without its obstacles. But that's the true test of success. H...
Jan 04, 2023•40 min
Bryan Callen brings so much energy to this call with the men of Apogee. This episode goes on my list of top 5 episodes. I'm also not afraid to admit it. I messed up. And as a result, the audio quality of today's episode is not up to par with what it usually is. But I promise you can still get everything that you need to out of it and it's with probably one of the biggest guests we've ever had. This episode had me fired up and even I had a whole bunch of great takeaways. BRYAN CALLEN Bryan Callen...
Jan 02, 2023•54 min
Barring Jocko, there is no one who we talk about on this podcast (who we haven't actually had on) more than Robb Wolf. That changes today! We've talked about Robb Wolf on nearly every episode in conversations around challenging the stereotypical narrative around health. He has been instrumental in redefining what health means not just for me, but for hundreds of thousands of other people too. ROBB WOLF Robb Wolf , a former research biochemist is the 2X New York Times/WSJ Best Selling author of T...
Dec 30, 2022•50 min
Some people are afraid to climb 5 flights of stairs and then look down while others, like today's guest, jump out of airplanes for fun. This is a guy who doesn't back down from a challenge or a thrill and intentionally lives his life in a way where he's constantly pushing himself to be greater. Andy Stumpf is a good friend of Jocko Willink and Apogee Co-Founder Tim Kennedy- it's clear why. Great men only surround themselves with other great men. We were incredibly grateful to have Andy on our Fr...
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 1 min
So very few people have the perspective on life and the mindset that this man has because so few people have had to go through what he has. Marcus has been, by far, one of my favorite Apogee Friday call guests that we have had to date. And with a name like Marcus Aurelius Anderson, none of that comes as any surprise. Grateful to have people like him pouring into the young men of Apogee and being a living example of the savage gentleman. MARCUS AURELIUS ANDERSON Today's guest is Marcus Aurelius A...
Dec 26, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Today's guest is Josh Blue. Following his groundbreaking win on NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006, Josh Blue has risen through the ranks to become a well-established headliner at venues throughout the world. In 2018, Josh crushed his set on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In the same year, he was honored with a performance at the William H. Macy Gala at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Canada. He wrapped up 2018 by recording his fifth-hour special at his home ...
Dec 23, 2022•43 min
Today's guest is Sevan Matossian. Sevan has been involved in CrossFit Media since the start of CrossFit itself. He is a producer and director, known for Our House (2003), Pulling John (2009), and Every Second Counts: The Story of the 2008 CrossFit Games (2009). Sevan is a content king. From creating tremendous value for the CrossFit community to now creating content with his three young sons on fitness, running a personal podcast, and a podcast with himself, Josh Bridges, and Mat Fraser. SHOW HI...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Today's guest is Josh Tyler, a professional fighter and survivalist. He is the co-founder of Savage Gentleman, a retail brand and ethos that believes that men are both savages and gentlemen. Josh is also the host of a podcast by the same name. I've followed Josh for a long time, within the fighting sphere and his brand Savage Gentleman. The concept of the Savage Gentleman is something that has deeply resonated with me. It's a phrase that I use to describe the qualities of a man who is a good man...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 31 min
We frequently talk about the importance of mindset on the Essential 11, particularly how your mindset will affect how you handle tough situations, how resilient you are, and how your mindset can drive your success. But what if we told you your mindset directly correlates to how long you live, the very expression of your genes, and shape the anatomy of your brain? That's exactly the scientific-based info that today's guest Dawson Church brings to this episode. Dawson is a researcher and the autho...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 3 min
We've decided to change things up a bit on The Essential 11. Today's special guest kicks off a new format that we'll be adding to the mix of episodes. While we normally ask our guests the set of questions from the 1,500 youth that was surveyed, in today's episode we get the questions directly from the mouths of the young people who want to ask them- our very own savage gentlemen participating in the Apogee program. It was an honor and a pleasure to kick-off this format with someone who is making...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 4 min
When we were establishing Acton Academy Placer, we actually had our founding students choose our mascot. Groups of students created and gave a pitch for their idea and then everyone voted. Lions won. We refer to all of the young heroes at Acton as Lions to reaffirm in their minds that they are independent thinkers, learners, and doers that are courageously leading their own journeys. Someone who whole-heartedly embodies those qualities is our guest on today's podcast. Sean Whalen is a father, en...
Dec 12, 2022•54 min
Today's guest is someone who Matt has known personally for quite a while. Performance coach for almost 8 years with over 6,000 hours of one-on-one coaching experience, Jason Drees is an expert on using elevated mindset to achieve elevated growth. In this conversation, Jason talks us through how he works with clients to shift their mindset to operate at a higher vibrational frequency to match the frequency of their goals, and why this works so thoroughly. We also cover why most people set their s...
Dec 09, 2022•45 min
Anyone who knows Matt, knows that he's an avid carnivore. Meat is pretty much the only thing he eats because it's one of the only foods that keep him at peak performance. He's certainly not the only one who follows and thrives on this kind of diet. We've previously had Mikhaila Peterson as a guest, we've had Chris and Mark Bell, but today, we have the Carnivore King. Shawn Baker is credited with the popularization of the carnivore diet, one of his most well-known discussions of his diet taking p...
Dec 07, 2022•45 min
Acton Academy has a term that they use to identify the true leaders among the group, the ones who are making big things happen, and are actively supporting fellow students' success- we call them sheepdogs. When we had the idea for Apogee, before it had its name, we wanted this new program to specifically cultivate sheepdogs, not just men who follow the herd, but men who go above and beyond to be the ultimate gentleman, the ultimate savages, and ultimate leaders who are making waves in today's cu...
Dec 05, 2022•46 min
Pete Roberts is an entrepreneur, founder of Origin Maine, and an absolute savage gentleman. Pete admits that he began his entrepreneurial venture very naive but ambitious nonetheless. He recounts losing everything in the 2008 recession including the business he was running at the time, an experience that humbled him. During this time he had turned to jujitsu as an outlet which in turn began his next entrepreneurial venture- Origin Maine. He explains how he and his team learned everything through...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Ed Latimore is a best-selling author, former professional heavyweight boxer, and competitive chess player. His writing focuses on self-improvement and a practical approach to stoic philosophy. He has published two books, Not Caring What Other People Think Is a Superpower: Insights from a Heavyweight Boxer and Sober Letters to My Drunken Self , along with a writing and marketing guide for social media titled Engagement Is the New Cocaine: The Art and Science of Writing Awesomely Addictive Tweets ...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Today's guest is a highly accomplished athlete who has a passion for nutrition. Cynthia Monteleone is a World Champion Track Athlete who specializes in the 400 meters. She competes for Team USA in Masters Athletics, is a 2018 National Champion, a 2019 National and World Champion, oh yeah- and she's faster than she was when she ran in college. Cynthia regularly challenges the typical standard of "healthy eating" and uses natural methods that help those who train under her, including several Olymp...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Today's guest is Kristopher Lee "Kit" Cope, a man known by many names- Cobra, Doctor, Havoc, The Prophesy- is best known for his time in professional kickboxing and mixed martial arts. Kit is a very outspoken individual, particularly about fighting, masculinity, and freedom. He was a natural-born fighter, always having been involved in some way. He talks about how he discovered his love for martial arts and kickboxing, and how the physical disciplines that it takes to be a great fighter have sha...
Nov 25, 2022•1 hr 34 min
Today's guest is a man who is on a mission to make good people dangerous. Byron Rodgers served in the United States Marine Corps infantry with two deployments to Iraq as a Squad Leader for four years, afterward becoming an executive protective agent. He has authored the book, “Finding Meaning After the Military, and he's currently working on book number two: “Social Dynamics of Executive Protection.” In this episode, Matt and Byron talk about the protector mindset, how danger tempers this mindse...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Today's guest is someone who Matt has known for a long time. Michael Brooks is a multi-millionaire who owns and runs a thriving, $76-million plus freelance marketplace business with no employees, goLance. Michael is a rule-breaker, especially when it comes to business. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. But he has certainly not obtained this level of success without encountering his fair share of fools gold, as we dive into in this episode. Failure is a tool for success. It's somethin...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Today's guest is Chris Bell, director, writer, and producer best known for his movie "Bigger, Stronger, Faster*" a documentary that examines the steroid use of director Christopher Bell's two brothers, Mark "Smelly" Bell and Mike Bell "Mad Dog" and the use of anabolic steroids as performance-enhancing drugs in the United States and how this practice relates to the American Dream. You can tell very early on into this episode just how knowledgeable Chris is about the impacts of various patterns of...
Nov 18, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Today's guest is Gabrielle Reece. 'Gabby' is not only a volleyball legend, but an inspirational leader, New York Times bestselling author, wife, and mother. The former professional beach volleyball player and Nike’s first female spokeswoman is the definition of both athleticism and beauty. Creator of HIGHX ® , Co-Founder of XPT ® and Executive Member of Laird Superfood ® , Gabby is dedicated to building and leading health and fitness methods. We cover her unconventional upbringing, how she began...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Today's guest is Aaron Hinde, Co-Founder and President of Lifeaid, a leading manufacturer of premium, healthy, and convenient nutritional products designed to boost performance and speed recovery for people pursuing active and healthy lifestyles. In this episode dive into Aaron's journey, how he worked for over ten years as a Clinic Director at Hinde Chiropractic Sports Injury and Pain Center, and then by being immersed in the health field how he came to see the need for a better sports drink op...
Nov 14, 2022•56 min
Will Witt, a Colorado native, attended the University of Colorado Boulder for two years before he dropped out (You know we always love a good drop-out story). Before working for PragerU, he worked with other nonprofits to help spread the values of freedom and conservatism across America. He now creates online content for PragerU and helps inspire young people worldwide to fight for the values they believe in. In today's episode, we talk about Will's journey from an Atheist liberal to a conservat...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr 16 min
