Set the Bar Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ben Todd
This show is going to be a deep dive into personal development. The goal is to help you become the best version of you! We'll primarily be talking fitness, nutrition, business, and mindset. Too many people in society do not reach their full potential because of complacency and lack of belief in themselves to achieve anything truly great. Here, we are "setting the bar" for others to follow to prove that we are all capable of living great lives!
@bentoddfit
My guest today, Michael Tarro Jr., is a good friend of mine from the bodybuilding industry who I was finally able to sit down with for an interview. We've conversed for quite some time through social media, but this was one of the first times we ever actually sat down for a long discussion. It was well worth the wait.
Mike is a Business and Contracts Attorney who resides in Tampa, FL. He is an aspiring bodybuilder with hopes of competing in his first show later this year. He is also the co-host of a massively successful dating podcast called When Sex Happens.
We had a great conversation and I'm glad we were finally able to make it happen. Can't wait for you all to hear it.
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Show: @setthebarpod
Ben: @bentoddfit
Although rejection is something that we will eventually all experience during our lives, it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Rejection can be difficult, and is usually never fun. Knowing how to appropriately cope with being rejected and move forward in a positive way are important skills to develop.
Rejection is usually characterized as more of a negative experience. We have a natural human need to want to feel accepted by a person or a group, so when that doesn't work out, we feel hurt. Despite this being a negative experience, we can elect to find the positives in it, which we can then use as action items to move forward.
In today's episode, I share some strategies for how to handle rejection when it inevitably happens, and how to best position yourself to move forward in a positive way.
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Ben: @bentoddfit
Today's show was inspired by a conversation I had with my mom a few days ago regarding a series of decisions that I made when I was younger that were infuriating to her at the time. In taking a deeper look at this, my decision-making process earlier on in life was admittedly rather poor. Since then, I have developed a strategy that I implement each time I am required to make an important decision, which I will share with you all.
Additionally, there will always be circumstances in life that we unfortunately will have no control over. However, to prevent your life from descending into complete chaos and disarray, I describe several decisions that you can make on a daily basis that will help give you some feeling of control, even if the world is crashing around you.
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My guest today, Ricky Mupier, has a pretty incredible story to share, most of which I didn't even know until we sat down and began talking.
Ricky is a former Division 1 Men's Soccer Player at Houston Baptist University, despite having a near career-ending leg injury while in high school. Following his collegiate career, he was signed to a semi-pro roster in Denmark, where he traveled Europe playing the game that he loved. He ultimately decided to hang up the cleats and return to America, where he eventually met his wife, Chelsea, and his business partner, Sean.
Ricky's story is one of continuous mental fortitude and never giving up. The cards were stacked against him several times throughout the course of his life, but his faith in God and the support system that he kept allowed him to always stay positive and continue to fight. He now is the Operations Manager and partner at Rise Gym.
We all struggle at times in life. Life can be hard. Life can kick us in the teeth. We may feel sad, we may feel self-pity, we may wonder why bad things are happening to us. But by surrounding yourself with people who care about you, continuing to fight, and always maintaining a positive outlook, you will make it through those dark days.
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Show: @setthebarpod
Ben: @bentoddfit
Today's episode begins with providing an update as to what I've been up to over the last month that I've been away from the show. I've been focusing on elevating my life, and have some exciting news to share with you all.
The topic for today is the concept of "working hard" - what it means to work hard, why you should want to work hard, and the possible opportunities that may come your way as a result of working hard. I firmly believe that these last five years that I've really made a conscious effort to work as hard as I can have positioned me to have success as my life progresses forward. A strong work ethic isn't something that can be taught through a manual, but something that needs to come intrinsically. There are so many benefits to creating a strong work ethic, it's just up to you to implement it.
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My guest today, Matt Curry, is one of my best friends and one of the biggest fitness influences in my life so far. Matt is a former NPC Nationally Qualified Men's Physique Competitor, so our conversation begins by discussing bodybuilding and what his experience with competing was like.
In addition to bodybuilding, we discuss his career as a personal trainer and co-owner of a gym, as well as what it's like to be a husband and brand new father.
There is some gold within this episode. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
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Show: @setthebarpod
Ben: @bentoddfit
In order to be successful in life, grit and mental toughness will be absolutely essential skills that you will need to cultivate and develop. Life can be very difficult at times. It will be imperative during these times to have grit, fortitude, and resilience in order to get through them and move on with life.
One way that you can begin to cultivate these skills is through fitness. Working out requires you to get "comfortable with being uncomfortable", which will allow you to make progress and become better at whatever physical venture you choose. The skills that you develop in the gym to push yourself and improve your own physical fitness directly correlate to the same skills required to make it through the inevitably difficult times in life.
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Sometimes life is going to hit you in the teeth. Unpredictable events and situations are bound to occur. While we may not be able to control what actually happens, we can most certainly control our response to it. We always have a choice on how we handle and address these different situations that will inevitably occur. The natural tendency is to respond emotionally, when responding rationally is actually a significantly better approach.
When you really break it down and analyze it, life is pretty short. We tend to lose sight of the fact that we are only here for a limited time. It is easy to get caught in the daily "hustle and bustle" of life, but taking time for introspection and reflection is also important.
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Mental limitations are something that we will all struggle with at one point in time or another. These limitations will prevent us from truly accomplishing anything great because they will convince us to quit before we even begin.
I conducted an experiment last week to test my own self-discipline and challenge my own mental limitations that I will share with you guys, as well as discuss some tips to keep in mind to prevent yourself from allowing these self-limiting beliefs to take hold in your mind.
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Today's episode features the first 1-on-1 interview that I've conducted so far on Set the Bar. My guest today is Dr. Sean Harris, a physical therapist, PhD, and entrepreneur. Sean has been a personal friend of mine for the past several years, and has been as much of a mentor to me as he has been a friend.
We sit down to discuss all things health and fitness; his career as a clinician working for Memorial Hermann Health System, his new ventures of entrepreneurship with owning Rise Gym/Rise Barbell, and his role as a leader and mentor to those around him.
Sean is a wealth of knowledge and has significant expertise and insight into how physical fitness impacts every area of life. I learned quite a bit from our conversation and I hope that you all find as much value in this as I did.
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Ben: @bentoddfit
Adulthood inherently brings about hectic schedules filled with commitments and responsibilities that need to be adhered to. When you add education into the mix, it can feel overwhelming. These days, it is common to see working professionals going back to school to pursue advanced degrees, to change careers, or just to further their knowledge in a specific area.
Today's show is going to discuss some strategies that I have found work for me when it comes to pursuing education, while maintaining all of the other responsibilities of being an adult. I am currently in the process of completing my bachelors degree through Arizona State University Online in their Computer Information Systems program.
There are three strategies that I utilize to help keep me focused and on the right track: establishing a study routine, defining the reason for why you're pursuing education, and sharing your journey and intentions with the people closest to you.
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Show @setthebarpod
Ben: @bentoddfit
Lucian: @lucianrawlings
With it being the start of a new year, a lot of people have goals of becoming healthier. As the old saying goes, "nutrition is 80% of all results". Without sound nutrition, your hard work in the gym will not be fully maximized.
On today's show, we're going to be breaking down a couple of basic nutrition concepts: protein intake and total daily calorie intake. With a fundamental understanding of what function protein plays in your body, you will be be able to pay closer attention to just how much protein you are consuming.
In terms of total calorie intake, we all require different total calorie amounts per day. There is no "one size fits all" answer to this question. We will dive into Basal Metabolic Rate, Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and how these concepts each play a vital role in determining total daily calorie intake.
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Ben: @bentoddfit
Lucian: @lucianrawlings
It's January 1st, 2023. New Years Day. The end of something, or the beginning of something. New Years' always brings thoughts of new goals, habits, and ways of living. However, there is one factor that is key to accomplishing anything in life: you have to put in the work. Things aren't just going to happen to you/for you. You need to go out and make them happen through taking the necessary action in order to achieve whatever it is that you want to do.
Today's episode is going to recap what I devoted my focus to in 2022: enhancing my career and my physique. I'll talk about the work that I did in each of those areas to improve both of them. I will also discuss some of the personal weaknesses that I have, and two areas of my life that I will be working on in 2023.
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Ben: @bentoddfit
Lucian: @lucianrawlings
Jim Rohn was once quoted with this very well-known statement, "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." Whether you realize it or not, your habits are a direct reflection of your life. It should be our goal to implement as many positive daily habits as we can in order to maximize our potential for lifelong success.
On today's episode, we will briefly recap what we've been up to over the last month and a half, and then get into a discussion about building and creating daily habits. This will be a continuation of our last episode dealing with motivation, but will instead focus on how forming habits will ultimately outlast motivation.
We will get into what a habit is, discuss some of the habits we maintain in our own lives, talk about why "the process" of habit building is so important, and pass along some advice on how we have formed the habits that we each have in our lives.
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Ben: @bentoddfit
Lucian: @lucianrawlings
The motivation to execute a specific task will come and go. You will not always be motivated to do something. Motivation might help get you started, but eventually, that motivation will begin to fade. What will you do when that occurs?
Today's episode will start off by discussing the reason for our recent hiatus, which will lead nicely into our discussion about motivation. We will highlight why motivation alone is not sustainable, and how to begin transitioning into developing a process for a specific task, which will hopefully result in forming a habit for that specific task.
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Lucian: @lucianrawlings
In any client or customer relationship, communication is crucial in order to sustain customer satisfaction and retention. This type of communication applies to any industry, both in the professional and non-professional setting.
Most people tend to be emotional in nature, and are conditioned to respond emotionally to a given situation, whether that emotion is positive or negative.
In today's episode, we dive into how to navigate communication barriers with a client who has experienced some inconvenience or setback that needs to be resolved. We also reveal a simple process that you can implement right now to concisely explain a problem to a client, and the steps that will be taken to correct it.
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Podcast: @setthebarpod
Ben: @bentoddfit
Lucian: @lucianrawlings
If you had to take an inventory of your friends, how many "close friends" would you say that you have? What characteristics even define a "close friend"?
On today's episode, we are introducing the new co-host for the Set the Bar Podcast, and we discuss how to actively maintain close friendships throughout your life.
We will be defining the differences between a close friend and a convenient friend, as well as diving deeply into strategies that you can employ to ensure your close friendships are maintained as you get older and go through different seasons of life.
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Podcast: @setthebarpod
Ben: @bentoddfit
Lucian: @lucianrawlings
Going to the gym and staying physically fit is a huge component to being a well-rounded individual. We want to maximize the effectiveness of our training to get the most out of our time spent in the gym.
Until recently, I didn't fully understand what training with intent meant, or how to implement it. It wasn't until my recent trip to Austin earlier this summer that it finally clicked for me.
In today's episode, I'll share with you my experience on being focused and intentional with each movement and rep, and how that has taken my training to a complete new level. My goal is that you will analyze your own training to determine what areas you can improve in to get the most that you can out of each training session.
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The great Jim Rohn once said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."
Today's conversation is going to be about evaluating the people that you surround yourself with, why you surround yourself with them, and determining if they are helping you or hurting you.
Positive and negative energy both have direct effects on you and your livelihood. We want to maximize the positive energy while limiting the negative.
This energy shift can become huge once you begin to align yourself with positive, like-minded people who hold themselves, and the people around them, to high standards.
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On this week's show, we discuss some strategies on how to add value in the workplace.
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to get promotions or raises fairly easily, while other people struggle and spin their wheels for years in the same place? It all comes down to how much value you are adding to your company.
Today, I outline three simple ways you can immediately begin to add more value to your company, skyrocketing your name to the forefront of your manager's mind when promotions and raises come around.
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Introducing the show - why I elected to launch a podcast and what topics are going to be covered in future episodes.
Main topic of discussion will be about self-discipline. We get into why discipline is important, what value it can bring you, and how you can begin to become more disciplined in your own life.
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@bentoddfit