Blog | Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance

EP140: How To Build An Extraordinary Body, Business and Life w/ Don Saladino

Vigor Life Podcast · EP140: How To Build An Extraordinary Body, Business and Life w/ Don Saladino

This past weekend we ran the Becoming A Super Coach event at Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance with my friends Don and Mel Saladino, Kelsey and Dennis Heenan and it we had close to 30 amazing coaches attending and learning as we shared everything we could in a day with our combined experience of close to 55 years in the industry both offline and online. Don is like a brother and I’m glad we were able to speak in person and not on ZOOM as this conversation is so valuable.

Don has coached actors, athletes, & musicians for over 20 years. He opened his first NYC Gym, Drive 495, in 2005. After operating brick & mortar gyms for 15 years, Don expanded to a global online fitness business. He has developed a reputation for training some of the biggest names in Hollywood for the big screen. Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Liev Schreiber, Sebastian Stan, Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, & David Harbour are among his roster of clients.

He has been tapped as a fitness expert in publications such as Muscle & Fitness, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, & Men’s Fitness. He has also been featured in People, US Weekly, Origins, In Touch, Cosmo, & Shape; and has made appearances doing live fitness demos on The Today Show, Page Six TV, People NOW, E News, & WebMD. He sits on the advisory board of Men’s Health Magazine.

In March 2018 & October 2021, it was his great honor to shoot the cover of the iconic Muscle & Fitness Magazine.

Don lives in New York with his wife, Mel, and their two children, Amelia and Donny Jr. – & their pups Rigatoni & Sambuca.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

The surprising principles anyone can follow to build a super hero body, even if you don’t have access to a celebrity coach.
Why building a body and keeping your body are two different things, and how to do the latter.
What ONE thing all successful people to do.
What’s one of the most terrible attitudes to have when it comes to body transformation and the right one to have.
Who does Don want to surround himself with and whats been the catalyst to his growth,
Whether fitness, business, or life, the key to success is the __________.
An unexpected characteristic of the top 1% of performers Don has trained, learn this and take your results to the next level.
The formula to find purpose and meaning in your work and grow your business.
Why many people with big social media accounts don’t make money and what businesses actually do.
This one thing Ryan Reynolds did In his business that can teach everyone a lesson in success.
Don and I drop the truth about what it takes if you want to achieve what the top 5% have achieved.
Why social media is a great tool if you use it the right way, we share what the right way is.
And much much more

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

Don Saladino https://donsaladino.com/

Don Saladino Instagram https://www.instagram.com/donsaladino/

5 Steps To Monetize Your Online Business Course https://donsaladino.samcart.com/products/business-course/

Vigor Life Podcast (iTunes) h

Vigor Life Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0gp1uXtwfRUcBkfS1P1uim?si=kcUu2vhPRwuxdV5kTzQrug

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

Athlete For Life Program Design Workshop https://lukahocevar.com/product/athlete-for-life/

EP139: Principles, Strategies and Tools To Be A Better In-Person Coach w/ Mike Robertson

Vigor Life Podcast · EP139: Principles, Strategies and Tools To Be A Better In-Person Coach w/ Mike Robertson

I always love having my friend Mike Robertson on the show as he’s not only a great coach, a gym owner, but he’s been doing it for decades and is always learning, doing and sharing his knowledge at the highest level. Mike and I go back 15 years and have been there, done that, and still doing it. In this episode we dive into the biggest “musts” when it comes to coaching in person. Our frame was that these are the principles the “young Jedi’s” of the industry must follow.

Mike Robertson is the President of Robertson Training Systems and the co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (I-FAST) in Indianapolis, Indiana which has been named top 20 gyms in America by Men’s Health a number of times. Mike has made a name for himself as one of the premier performance coaches in the world, helping clients and athletes from all walks of life achieve their physique and sports performance goals.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

What’s the absolutely most important principal when it comes to being a successful coach.
What’s Luka’s #1 “no, no” when it comes to coaching clients and
Soft skills or X’s and O’s? Which one wins out and how much time should you dedicate to each.
Actionable step you can take today to discover what the best coaches do, this is a cheat code.
What does it mean to take the “Megatron” approach to learning and applying within your sessions.
How to distill what works by using it in “the fire” and the step-by-step process of doing that.
What Mike is currently working on to improve assessments at IFAST and take their athletes to the next level.
Why plateaus in learning and development are good and the catalyst for growing.
What do you do when you see a lot of things “wrong” with someones form, how do you approach it coaching wise.
The reason average doesn’t exist and why you can’t coach to average.
How to be a complete coach and create a successful career in the industry.

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

Complete Coach Certification Seattle https://completecoachcertification.com/seminar/

Mike Robertson https://robertsontrainingsystems.com/

Physical Preparation Podcast h

IFAST Gym https://indianapolisfitnessandsportstraining.com/

Vigor Life Podcast (iTunes) h

Vigor Life Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0gp1uXtwfRUcBkfS1P1uim?si=kcUu2vhPRwuxdV5kTzQrug

Luka Hocevar YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ29YcBh-g6onRujX3wD_XA?view_as=subscriber

EP138: 6 Principles For Lifelong Excellence Without Anxiety and Burnout w/ Brad Stulberg

Vigor Life Podcast · EP138: 6 Principles For Lifelong Excellence Without Anxiety and Burnout w/ Brad Stulberg

Brad Stulberg’s book Peak Performance has always been on my top list of recommendations for entrepreneurs. I just found out he had written a new book just as I was scheduling an episode with him. I read it within days and was glad I did, because The Practice of Groundedness gave me a deep poke on things I needed to continue to work on.

Brad researches, writes, and coaches on the characteristics that underlie sustainable excellence. No gimmicks or “hacks.” Just what works.

Brad’s books are The Practice of Groundedness and Peak Performance. They have sold more than 350,000 copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, where I am a regular contributor to the opinion section, as well many other publications including The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wired, The New Yorker, Forbes, GQ, Outside Magazine, TIME, and more.

In his coaching practice I work with executives, entrepreneurs, physicians, and athletes on their performance and overall well-being.

He’s the co-creator of The Growth Equation an online platform dedicated to defining and realizing a more fulfilling, genuine kind of excellence and sustainable success.

Brad is also a fellow at the University of Michigan’s graduate school of public health, where he advises and lectures on health, human potential, and excellence.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

Even though Brad was successful in his field and had it all together on the outside, inside he had an anxiety and frenetic energy that always made him feel he was on shaky ground, this led to finding out why and writing this book
The reason many high achievers and successful people feel are always striving and not feeling at peace with where they are.
Why do entrepreneurs want to “turn it off” and have some peace but when they do they feel like they should be working.
How to find the balance between striving to be excellent in your craft and career, and not losing yourself and having peace.
What is “Summit Fever” and how it may lead to a huge downfall after a success.
How to be grounded in the process of striving where you spend 99.9% of the time.
Is awareness the most important principle to become grounded and something that is critical to becoming aware.
Breaking down the 6 principles of groundedness and how to practice them in a skill based way.
Why “good enough” consistently can make you the best in the world.
A practice and strategy to be able to take your own advice; true wisdom.
What is performative vulnerability vs. true vulnerability, and the power of this principle on your life and business.
What is deep community and why it may be the most important one to build roundedness.
Why Brad and I agree that its better to have one gym that makes a deeper impact than a chain of national gyms (and our reasoning behind it).
How being the most know and being excellent at your craft are two very different things.
The power of movement and exercise and how it affects mindset, psychology, health, and is a catalyst to improve every factor of your life.
The formula for discovering the right movement approach for you to have lifelong success and health.