Stay ConnectedHi, I’m Chase Chewning (@chase_chewning on Instagram) and this is the podcast that is devoted to help you build a life that propels you forward – EVER FORWARD. Conversations with industry leaders in health and wellness, personal development, entrepreneurship, celebrities and entertainers, creatives, military and so much more.
I am a US Army veteran, ACE Certified Health Coach, and I hold a BS in Exercise Science and MS in Health Promotion and currently live in Los Angeles, CA.
Copyright: © 2026
What makes collagen such a unique protein and why should you care?
For starters, collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, making up about a third of your body's protein composition.
It's known as the "glue" that holds everything together, and once you hit 25, your body's ability to create collagen begins to weaken; hence the "aches and pains" of old age. But it doesn't have to be this way.
Today's guest, Charlie Bailes, says that he is in better shape at 34 than he was at 24, mainly thanks to incorporating more collagen into his diet.
But what really opened his eyes to the power of collagen was its healing effect on his daughter Vivian, who at 1-and-a-half years old, routinely became sick. After introducing collagen into her diet (alongside other healthy lifestyle choices such as cutting out gluten, vegetable oils, and sugar), Vivian, who was told by multiple pulmonologists that she would be on an inhaler for the rest of her life, now only uses her inhaler about two times a year.
Collagen had changed the lives of Charlie and his family, and he wanted to pay it forward. In 2018, Charlie started CB Supplements, founded on the three pillars of premium product, education, and customer appreciation.
Follow Charlie @cebailes and @cbsupplements
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"It all begins with creating a foundation of healthy habits which can lead to long-term wellness."
Eric Champ is a Marine Corps veteran who currently owns and operates Champ City Holistic Fitness and a 14-by-7 mobile gym.
He is living his passion, but it didn't come overnight. In fact, there was a point in his life when Eric didn't even know if he would live to see the day he turned 40 years old.
While in the Marine Corps, holistic health and wellness was the last thing on Eric's list of priorities. He partied almost every night, loved his drink, and eventually ballooned up to over 250 pounds. He knew deep inside that something was horribly wrong with his lifestyle, but he never could never admit it just because he was too afraid to face himself.
But the day inevitably came when Eric had to come to terms with what was happening, when he had to engage in "that showdown with myself". He made a fateful decision, while gazing at his deteriorating body in front of the mirror, that he would turn his life around. That decision, coupled with his wife Katie's determination to keep him accountable, drove Eric to keep his eyes firmly rooted on his new path.
The next morning, Eric grabbed his shorts, headed to the YMCA down the road, and walked a mile on the treadmill. And so began a journey that would later inspire him to launch a fitness platform that would quickly grow into a thriving worldwide business.
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The cost of pet healthcare has been rising in recent years and there seems to be no end in sight. What's more, the best technology and the best care have mostly been available only to those who can afford them.
Marc Atiyeh is the Founder and CEO of Pawp, "the digital clinic for pets" that gives dog and cat owners unlimited 24/7 access to licensed vets and a $3,000-a-year pet emergency fund.
Pawp's mission is to make pet healthcare much more affordable and accessible to the vast majority of Americans. By extension, the company's mission translates into the financial wellbeing of the human beings who serve as pet parents.
"Let Pawp be the first line of defense," says Marc. "Let's put in the hands of most Americans some of the best and most advanced pet care experts in the country."
Listen in as Marc describes the spark that led to the founding of Pawp and how he hopes the business can serve as a model that will lead to much-needed structural changes in the pet healthcare industry.
He also talks all things pet health and how your dog or cat's wellbeing has a direct influence on your own wellbeing.
Follow Pawp @pawp
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The fitness world was dramatically shaken up during the past year-and-a-half—and with it our own goals. With gyms and other fitness establishments finally opening up, how do we get back on track and move forward in an industry that has transformed in so many ways? Krysta is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach who is the founder of The Fitness FYX brand and the FYX Studio platform. She is the host of THE FYX podcast, a show which covers "all things fitness, nutrition, love, loss, personal and professional relationships, entrepreneurship, being a damn millennial, and embracing that stereotype." Listen in as Krysta gives us her thoughts on getting unstuck and taking proactive steps toward your health and fitness goals in the new normal. She explains the double-edged sword that is the ease of becoming certified as a coach nowadays. She says that this means personal accountability has become one of the biggest keys to breaking through the noise as a trainer—especially boutique ones like herself. Krysta says that trainers now have the responsibility to perform a self-audit to ensure continuous improvement in their specialties. For both trainers and trainees, she reminds us that more training doesn't necessarily equal better training and to not become distracted by the increasing complexity and the bells and whistles of the modern fitness industry. Follow Krysta @thekrystahuber Follow Chase @chase_chewning Episode resources:
One of the great attributes of masculine energy is that it pushes us forward—it drives us to advance in a positive direction. But without self-esteem backing up that masculine energy, we may still be able to move forward, but in a negative direction.
In today's episode, Angelo Sisco of Alpha Hippie talks all things manhood and the oftentimes elusive road to unlocking the professional man within you.
So many of us are obsessed with blazing a trail that, when we look back, we realize we've forgotten our heart. On the other hand, there are those of us who live in our hearts and their thoughts without ever taking action.
Listen in as Angelo explains why the first step to embracing your masculinity is actually in nurturing your feminine energy (or what he calls "grace"). He tells us that the lack of understanding and, by extension, the inadequate integration of one's masculine and feminine energies is the cause for many of the issues we face in the world today.
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"You can transition from just being aware of your chaotic and toxic thoughts to being empowered to catch these thoughts in their early stages, manage them. From there, you can improve your overall peace and wellbeing."
Dr. Caroline Leaf is a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist who for almost 40 years has been doing research into the mind-brain connection, the nature of mental health, and the formation of memory.
Dr. Leaf is the host of the podcast Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess and the author of the book Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking. We talk in-depth about the book in today's conversation.
Her overall message? You are not your brain. Your mind, in fact, controls your neurophysiology. When you understand your mind, you can begin to drive change in your brain and in your body. It's all under your control.
She says that, contrary to popular belief, emotional and even physiological symptoms that result from stress are not the result of an irreversibly "broken" brain. Rather, it's a question of your paradigms or the narrative lens that you see the world through.
"Because our brain is neuroplastic and we make a million new cells every second, we have a lot of power to influence and change" the stories we tell ourselves.
Listen in and learn how you can become empowered to manage your "messy mind" so that you can then give the podium to the "wise mind".
Follow Caroline @drcarolineleaf
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Being grateful for the cards you were dealt from birth—whether you label them as "good" or "bad"—is the key to thriving in life despite the challenges (whether physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.) unique to you.
That gratitude allows you to contribute some good to the world because you're pouring from an overflowing reservoir. But if your perspective is that of lack and resentfulness, your reservoir is depleted; and then your chances of contributing any good to the world are nil.
Today's guest, Courtney Turner, believes that everyone has the ability to shape their destiny, and it starts with discovering that potential in you.
"A lot of the time," says Courtenay, "when people are filled with despair or depression or anxiety, it's a lack of hope. And lack of hope stems from feeling like you have no control over your future. But the truth is, we don't know what the future holds."
By remembering the things that we have overcome or succeeded at in the past, we can pinpoint our strengths, be grateful for them, and then use those gifts to chart a brighter path going forward.
Courtenay Turner is the Founder of WIM: What is Movement!, the Co-Founder of Truthmatters.biz, and the host of The Courtenay Turner Podcast.
Follow Courtenay @kineticcourtz
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With a childhood defined by an almost endless barrage of abuse from the people closest to him, and an early adulthood filled with all manner of destructive coping mechanisms in response to those tragic early years, Khalil Rafati had a long road ahead of him to rewire his mind and direct his energy toward the good.
From a life of family trauma, homelessness, substance abuse, and at one point being a convicted felon, Khalil has completely transformed his life.
Today, Khalil is still addicted—only he has switched out the drugs and alcohol for superfoods and juices.
His passion for health led him to found SunLife Organics, a rapidly growing chain of health food cafés with locations in California, Texas, and Arizona. He shares his unique approach to service, which includes allowing his staff to offer items on the house if the customer has recently fallen on hard times.
"A lot of people come into SunLife not just for the human connection," says Khalil. "A lot of people come into SunLife as a lighthouse in the storm."
Beyond the smoothies, Khalil believes that SunLife's customers come in to be loved, and his ultimate job is to shower them with the love, healing, and inspiration they crave.
Follow Khalil @khalilrafati
Follow SunLife Organics @sunlifeorganics
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"Let's put less emphasis on losing 10, 20, 30 pounds and more on what hot, healthy, and confident mean to you."
This is the motto that Lauren Hubert decided to embody as 2021 rolled out. But getting to the point where she could proclaim and live out this mindset for herself was a journey plagued with doubt and insecurity.
After gaining nearly 20 pounds as a freshman at Florida State University, Lauren was determined to shed the weight and regain her self-confidence. Unfortunately, she ended up going down a destructive path defined by hours of running, an extreme calorie deficit, and closing herself off from all social events for fear of getting tempted to eat the "wrong" foods.
It took a couple of years studying to become a registered dietician before Lauren realized just how toxic her mindset toward health and wellness was up till then. In 2019, with a renewed purpose, Lauren established The Sorority Nutritionist.
Listen in as Lauren touches on the value of patience and setting expectations as we create our fitness goals; how to manage failure, avoid burnout, and maintain our positivity as we strive for these goals; not letting yourself be defined by your failures and weaknesses; and how to overcome the two biggest struggles with health and wellness that most people go through today.
Follow Lauren @sorority.nutritionist
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Statistics show that the majority of Americans are now obese, in spite of the fact the fitness industry is bigger today than at any other point in time.
Sal Di Stefano of Mind Pump Media dives deep into this alarming disconnect and goes through the laundry list of issues that emerge as a result of poor health both on an individual level and on a society level.
In 2021, Sal published the book The Resistance Training Revolution, which details his observations and lessons learned after over 20 years in the fitness world. Frustrated at how the industry has failed to adequately address an obesity crisis that only continues to get worse, Sal wrote the book to tackle some of the common myths and misconceptions around health and fitness.
In particular, he hopes to change the mainstream paradigm regarding resistance training, which he believes is "the best form of exercise to burn fat, boost metabolism, and achieve health benefits you cannot obtain from other forms of exercise."
"I made the book to specifically focus on trying to get people to adopt a form of exercise that has now been proven through study, but also one that I've seen through experience to be the most effective form of exercise for all of the health problems that we tend to run into in modern society—everything from obesity to diabetes to dementia to Alzheimer's to loss of mobility to hormone issues. I'm trying to change the stigma that surrounds this form of exercise."
Sal goes on to explain why cardio and tracking calories burned during exercise are two of the worst things to focus on when trying to lose weight. He then gives his thoughts on the dangers of the "self love" trend and why you should never conflate "self image" with "body image".
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