Jacob Schepis is a natural bodybuilder, powerlifter, and the founder of JPS Health and Fitness in Melbourne, Australia.   We met when he hosted all of us 3DMJ Coaches at one of his facilities for a bodybuilding seminar in July of 2017.   I wanted him on here to pick his brain about the personal training and coaching company he’s built and why I admire it so much.   It blows me away how passionate and tuned-in he seems to be with all facets of the fitness industry while starting a new family and keeping his employees content without completely losing his shit.   If you have ever wanted to own a gym or manage a staff, there are A LOT of nuggets in here for you to relate to or learn from.   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast9/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/

Andrea & Friends

009 - Jacob Schepis

Lawrence is the director of operations at Shredded by Science, which is probably the most kick-ass place for the education and betterment of personal trainers and coaches on the internet.   Aside from that, he is just one of my damn good friends and has an incredible sense of humor and a pretty neat outlook on the world which I love hearing about.   This convo is just a catch-up sesh between friends, but it covers quite a large array of topics.   We chat about how he structures his entire work day, his job responsibilities within Shredded By science and how that company runs, our personal business struggles, his trip to Vietnam, the new products and plans for De Novo Nutrition (which is a supplement company that Shredded By Science is now partnering up with), and a whole lot about his current transition from powerlifting to weightlifting. Towards the end of our talk, we over a TON of resources and websites that helped me when I was first learning the snatch and the clean and jerk. I hope you guys can find a lot of that useful as well.   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast8/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/

008 - Lawrence Judd

In this conversation, I’m talking to my good friend and World Champion Powerlifter, LS McClain.   LS was actually one of my coaches at cheerleading camp in college!   We didn’t meet again until the end of 2015 at the Olympia expo and have become closer and closer ever since. Especially because he is one of my boyfriend’s best friends and a part of the close-knit family we hang around with quite often.   In this particular chat, we talk about his upcoming meet at USAPL Raw Nationals, his career as a cheerleading coach at Texas State University, his YouTube channel, his clothing line (McClain & Crcl), his life as an online powerlifting coach, and a whole bunch more.   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast7/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/

007 - LS McClain

In this conversation, I’m talking to the wisest 23 year old I know, Abdullah Zeinab.   He’s a former 3DMJ athlete and a big YouTube personality, whose days consist of waking up at 2am, delivering food, and making endurance cycling documentaries. Seriously.   Abdullah is a very dear friend of the entire 3DMJ crew, and he’s such a breathe of fresh air in a world filled with over planning, over thinking, and overly obsessing about how we’re perceived by other people.   It’s like he was sent on this earth to help me clarify what matters and what should be simple in my life. You guys are in for a treat with a ton of quick and hard lessons about work, food, media, relationships, goals, and life perspectives in general.   Here is the sixth installment of Andrea & Friends Abdullah Zeinab.   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast6/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/

006 - Abdullah Zeinab

Eric, along with yours truly, is one of the 5 natural bodybuilding and powerlifting coaches with 3D Muscle Journey. He has a BS in fitness and wellness, an MS in exercise science, a second masters in sports nutrition, and is a strength and conditioning PhD candidate at AUT in New Zealand.   Aside from all that fancy stuff, he is a dear personal friend and one of the most interesting people I have the opportunity of speaking with on a regular basis.   This episode is very special to me because it’s the first time he’s being interviewed about anything that is NOT fitness, bodybuilding, or research. I feel honored for the opportunity, and I hope you guys like it too :)   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast5/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/

005 - Eric Helms

Brandon Wells is a professional photographer and videographer who also happens to be a natural bodybuilder and musician.   He has also been my swolemate / boyfriend for the past 4 years. :)   Because I find him extremely interesting, I wanted him on my show to ask him non-girlfriend questions. More about his career, his creativity, and how he sees the world.    I interviewed him while he was staying with our friend and previous guest of this show, Ryan Doris. Ryan is an elite level powerlifter and professional natural bodybuilder.    These are a couple of my absolute most favoritest humans on the planet. I hope you guys enjoy it.   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast4/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/

004 - Brandon Wells & Ryan Doris

Lawrence Judd is the Director of Operations of Shredded by Science (SBS), which is the industry leader in online coaching for personal trainers.    That very same company invited myself and the other 3DMJ coaches out to London to do a seminar in the summer of 2016, where I got to spend a week with Lawrence and all of his SBS fam.    While I didn’t know much about him before that, we have since become full-fledged internet buddies, appeared on each other’s podcasts, and generally enjoy invading each other’s Snapchat feeds with images of dogs and #FitChick humor.    Our conversation was recorded in April of 2017, and we chat about my obsession with his English accent, the body image issues that got him into lifting weights, why we genuinely enjoy very few people, and how his professional route has taken him from a degree in chemical engineering to being a professional in the online fitness space.   He freaking cracks me up, I have a blast every time I talk to him, and I hope you guys have a blast listening to this.   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast3/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/  

003 - Lawrence Judd

Ian is the owner, coach, and content creator of Lifting For Life, LLC.   While I have met Ian in person many times before, I always left with some sense of mystery as to how his brain ticked.   Since first watching his videos like 5 or 6 years ago, found him to be extremely fascinating and get super hung up on how he operates, so having him on this podcast for over 2 hours was a real treat.   Please enjoy our chat about youtube, family, anorexia, critical thinking, social media, and a whole whole lot more.   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast2/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/  

002 - Ian McCarthy

Ryan is an elite level powerlifter, a professional natural bodybuilder, and one of my favorite people to talk to in the whole world.   We recorded this conversation toward the end of February 2017, and we catch up about life, books, training, and some of our biggest struggles as creative individuals trying to run our own businesses.   I hope you guys dig it. Here is the first ever installment of Andrea & Friends.   For the full video and useful links from this episode - http://andreavaldez.com/podcast1/   To sign up for my email newsletter and be notified of future episodes - http://andreavaldez.com/newsletter/

001 - Ryan Doris

Andrea Valdez likes her friends. So she interviews them in hopes that you will like them too.