Raise The Bar Radio

When you have a good feeling about a person, you don’t hesitate on the opportunity. This is exactly what happened when Emre reached out to Stu from his home in Turkey, looking to move across the globe, work as a CrossFit coach and experience a completely different culture to his own. Emre became a part of the CrossFit Cranbourne coaching staff in mid-August 2017 and was immersed in the community by late August. Fast forward 17 months, on his second last day before heading back home, Stu and Emre caught up to debrief over what has been an incredible journey. Not only for Emre, but for all of the people he made such an impact on due to the values and traits of such a wonderful person. Enjoy some great laughs during some great stories of cultural diversity, then completely immerse yourself in the values and outlooks Emre takes on in his life.

Jordan has been a mainstay in competitive CrossFit since the sport started maturing in 2011. His gym Schwartz CrossFit Melbourne has not only shaped him as an incredible athlete but clearly into an amazing human as well. Jordan walks us through his experiences through Regionals and Games appearances along with the different approaches he has had to change throughout his career. Recently he has decided to stop competing and his transition from that lifestyle makes for an incredible conversation. This episode is our longest yet, which is simply because you can feel the energy of the podcast lift in this episode. Jordan's passion for life is infectious and he certainly had an impact on Nick and Stu during the podcast.

We talk to Chris Ackland about his startup gym. Over the last 7 months he has poured his heart and soul into his new facility. Starting a business is hard but starting a new business with a brand new concept is almost impossible. Discover how much work it takes and how innovative his concept Iron Tribe truly is. Chris generously shares his weightlifting knowledge and teaches us what experience is required to compete in the sport.

Lachy is the owner of Virtus Human Performance, a gym with the intent to inspire its members to be excellent, but also love and enjoy the process along the way. With a background in sport science and having played high level Australian rules football, Lachy is incredibly passionate about his craft and wise well beyond his years. A tonne a takeaways in this absolute gem of an episode. Enjoy!

Nick and Stu wrap up the year that was and discuss all the highlights, lowlights and lessons learned from 2018. Taking a moment to reflect on an amazing year and what’s in store for 2019. They discuss their favourite episodes, podcasts, books, movies, doco’s and give you some amazing recommendations on how to start next year right. Nothing is left off the table as both your hosts go under the spotlight as they ask each other the serious questions

This week we talk to Will Sartori, the owner of Beyond Mvmt the home of CrossFit Rosebud. Will knows what it takes to establish a brand and build a culture. We dive into why he wants to create his own identity and what the CrossFit brand still means to him. How to program effectively and is the boring side of training also the most effective?

Tim Allen is an ex AFL footballer and Mornington Peninsula Football League Team of the Century player. Such huge feats tend to define a person, but these achievements are only a very small part of what has been a rich and fulfilled life lived so far. Listen in to see how when Tim decides to do something, he always does it at

John Van Wisse is a endurance athlete who holds world records in marathon distance swimming and triathlon. Join us as John takes us through some of his incredible events and gives us an insight into what it takes to take on these unbelievable challenges. We go deep into John’s favourite event, The Arch to Arc. This event starts in London and finishes in Paris. It consists of a 87 mile run, a swim of the English Channel and a cycle of 187 miles. What inspires a man to do such a thing?

You can’t have competitors if you embrace them as an opportunity for growth. Nick and Stu discuss their unique relationship and how they have chosen to adopt a growth mindset over a scarcity mindset. Learn how you can change the game and create opportunities around you rather than limiting yourself to only what’s directly in front!

Today we get our Zen on and talk to Asher Packman. After more than 20 years working with the world’s leading brands as a communications senior executive, a series of significant life events led Asher to shift gears. Now a qualified mindset and leadership coach (Diploma of Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring), he is also a certified HeartMath and Wim Hof Method instructor. He has further qualifications in geobiology, epigenetics and the social psychology of sport. Employing breathwork, meditation and heart-based techniques, Asher also uses Shamanic practices and archetypes to inform his work. Asher is the current president of Meditation Australia, the national peak body representing meditation and meditation teachers. He is dedicated to supporting the industry and playing an active role in growing a local, national and global movement that recognises meditation as an integral part of life.

James Smith is the founder of the James Smith Academy, an online health and fitness academy with the intent on giving you the tools you need for your fat loss/muscle gain/fitness success that will support the lifestyle you desire, without having to go on a drastic food group eliminating fad diet. James and Diren have boomed onto the social media scene with their blunt and brutally honest content, aiming to bust the myths of the fitness and diet industries. They use evidence based information and a tonne of charm, making them not only popular online (and their results sustainable and effective), but they’re also a target for copycats and ‘haters’. As three popular male influencers in the social media space, what is life really like for a person with a daily inbox 300 messages long? Is it all worth it?

Dave is the owner and director of CrossFit Wanderlust, on one of the worlds most popular tourist islands, Bali in Indonesia. With a long history of working in an array of different industries, losing out in the housing market in California during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and experiencing a near death illness at the age of 31, Dave set out to go against the typical ‘American Dream’ and seek real happiness through vagabonding. The pathway eventually lead him to Bali, where he inspires people from across the globe with his passion for teaching CrossFit, promoting a balanced lifestyle, enjoying the little moments in life and seeking what is really important. Dave has just turned 40, though you could easily mistake him to be 10 years younger. His youthful appearance, physical abilities and mentality didn’t just happen by chance. Listen in to find out how.

Commencing in the fitness industry in 2005 Jarrod (Marto) has been involved in a range of positions and business opportunities due to his engaging, personable and fun approach. Ranging from running his own PT business with trainers working for him to operational roles in a head office environment in a well known national brand to the training and education of new business owners. Still involved in the industry today, but with a primary change to his career 2 years ago, Jarrod can provide great insight into commercial health clubs, the state of play nationally with our current health crisis, new people being exposed to fitness and movement for the first time and maybe even the future of the fitness industry itself.

Sonia is a passionate coach She calls it how she sees it and todays first question is as straight up as it gets Sonia introduced Stu to CrossFit and she has now been in this game for a very long time She is a self-confessed nerd and still continues to thrive on acquiring knowledge, currently undertaking her masters. We don’t muck around in this episode as we get straight into best practices for the general population vs the amateur and elite athlete. Is CrossFit really the best training methodology and how can coaches and athletes continue to develop themselves. We get Sonia fired up when we discuss equality in sport and her role as a leader of young women.

Today we flip the scrip on Lachy and Raph who are the creators and cohosts of the Mind Muscle Project Podcast. Over the last 4 years they have uncovered the truths of the fitness industry. They are a huge influence on Raise The Bar Radio and it was hard not to be a couple of fan boys throughout this weeks episode. Discover what it’s like to own 3 gyms and be on the journey to creating an international brand.